Bank Swallow Identification

Bank Swallow Photos and Videos

Small songbird with a small head and tiny bill. Adults are brown above with a brown breast band and a white swoosh on the neck.

Nests in burrows excavated using its feet and bill, placed along banks and bluffs of rivers and streams, as well as gravel quarries and roadcuts.

In flight, note pale belly and darker wings with a brown band across the chest.

Brown above and white below with a brown band across its chest.

Adults are brown above with a white throat that wraps up around the side of the neck. Note slightly forked tail.

Nests in burrows; forages for insects fairly low over fields, water, and other open areas.

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Size & Shape
A small swallow with a chunky body, large head, relatively short pointed wings, and a slightly forked tail.
Relative Size
The smallest of North America’s swallow species, similar in size to a Chimney Swift but with shorter, broader wings.

between sparrow and robin
Measurements
Both Sexes
Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (10.2-18.8 g)
Wingspan: 9.8-13.0 in (25-33 cm)
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay Library
Color Pattern
A warm brown swallow with white underparts and a thick brown band across the chest. The head is brown with a white chin. Underwings are dark.

© David M. Bell / Macaulay Library
Behavior
Most often seen in flight, which is fluttery and fast with periods of brief gliding. Changes course frequently in pursuit of flying insects.

© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay Library
Habitat
Bank Swallows breed in open lowland areas near bodies of water. They tend to avoid forests, woodlands, or areas where they cannot find appropriate nesting habitats.

© Oliver Burton / Macaulay Library

Swallows(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Hirundinidae)