Northern Rough-winged Swallow Photo Gallery
Adult (Northern)
Small, long-bodied bird with a small head and bill. Entirely brown above with a dingy throat and chest that fades to white.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 08, 2014Adult (Northern)
Flies with smooth deliberate wingbeats on long, pointed wings. Brown above and paler below with a dingy wash on the throat, chest, and sides. Note square tail.
© Ryan Sanderson / Macaulay LibraryIndiana, May 11, 2020Adult
Often found near water where it flies low over the surface taking insects in midair.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 18, 2013Not all videos have soundAdult (Northern)
Long-bodied with a small head and bill. Adults are brown above and whitish below with a dingy wash on the throat and chest.
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 25, 2013Adult
Entirely brown above with a dingy throat and chest that fades to a dirty white belly.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryTexas, April 25, 2008Not all videos have soundAdult (Northern)
Plain brown swallow with few markings. Note small head and square tail.
© Ryan Schain / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, May 08, 2014Juvenile (Northern)
Juveniles look like adults, but have cinnamon wingbars.
© Evan Lipton / Macaulay LibraryMassachusetts, July 05, 2017Adult
Like other swallows, it has long, somewhat sickle-shaped wings. Note the dingy brown chest.
© Larry Arbanas / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 12, 2005Not all videos have soundAdult (Ridgway's)
Residents in the Yucatán Peninsula, northern Guatemala, and the southern parts of Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz, Mexico, have a white spot in front of the eyes and a forked tail.
© Tim Avery / Macaulay LibraryQuintana Roo, January 14, 2020Adult with Barn Swallows
Females collect grasses, twigs, and plant fibers from the ground to build a cup nest inside a burrow or crevice.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 18, 2013Not all videos have soundAdult (Northern)
From below, note mostly white underparts with a dingy wash on the throat and chest.
© Simon Best / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, July 19, 2015Habitat (Northern)
Found in open areas and open woodlands where it nests in crevices in rocks or in burrows.
© Spencer Follett / Macaulay LibraryNew Mexico, April 03, 2017Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Swallows(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Hirundinidae)
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