Life List 054
Visually documented
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
- First photographed
- June 2, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
Barn Swallow portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Hirundo rustica
Overview
The Barn Swallow is a long-distance migrant and graceful aerial insectivore found across much of the world. It builds an open cup of mud pellets, usually attached to a protected ledge on a human-made structure.
Identification
Deep blue upperparts, rusty throat and forehead, warm buff to cinnamon underparts, and a deeply forked tail with long outer streamers. White tail spots can flash as the bird twists in flight.
Range
Breeds across most of North America, Europe, Asia, and northern Africa. North American birds migrate to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America for winter.
Habitat
Open farmland, grassland, wetlands, shorelines, towns, and roadsides near barns, bridges, culverts, or other nesting structures.
Diet
Flying insects captured on the wing, including flies, beetles, bees, wasps, moths, and winged ants.
Photography by Brittany Templin
Bring the story of the Barn Swallow into your project or space.
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