Swifts & Swallows

Swifts, martins and swallows are elegant, attractive birds with tapered bodies and agile flight patterns. Despite being so distinctive, however, they can be immensely challenging to birders just because they are so fast and many species have similar appearances. These profiles include information about the birds' appearance, range, habitat, voice, behavior, feeding style and reproduction, as well as tips for attracting and conserving each species.

Barn Swallow
Detailed bird profile of the barn swallow: appearance, foods, habitat behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting both feeding and nesting barn swallows to your backyard.

Chimney Swift
Detailed bird profile of the chimney swift: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting chimney swifts to the appropriate habitat.

Cliff Swallow
Detailed bird profile of the cliff swallow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for observing these swallows and attracting them to your backyard.

Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Detailed bird profile of the norhtern rough-winged swallow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting northern rough-winged swallows to your backyard.

Purple Martin
Detailed bird profile of the purple martin: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting purple martins to your backyard.

Tree Swallow
The northernmost wintering swallow in North America, the tree swallow is a beautiful and hardy species. Learn more about tree swallows, including their field marks, breeding behavior, voice and how to attract them.

Violet-Green Swallow
Detailed bird profile of the violet-green swallow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting violet-green swallows to your backyard.

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