Barn Swallow

The barn swallow feels instantly familiar on a walk. Its long, deeply forked tail and quick, agile flight make it easy to notice as it skims low over streets, yards, water, and open fields.

It is a social, restless species that often gathers on wires and other high perches, then spends much of the day on the wing. The voice is bright and twittering, ending in a familiar little trill, and males advertise themselves with song and a fanned tail.

It needs open ground, water nearby, and sheltered places for nesting, so it readily uses barns, bridges, house eaves, and similar structures. It feeds almost entirely on flying insects, and in many places it is a seasonal visitor that arrives in spring and leaves in autumn.