Swallows

In this area we have six species of swallows,

The Barn Swallow, photo taken from Carol Pollard's Wings on the Web

those being the Barn, Bank, Cliff, Tree, and Rough-winged Swallows, as well as the Purple Martin. They are all very graceful birds, soaring on long, pointed wings, with most species having split tails which flow out behind them. With their short bills, they feed on flying insects and bayberries. The five species also all have deep colouring on their backs, wings and heads, with light undersides. However, you can tell the five apart by a few distinctive traits. The Barn Swallow is the only one in this region with a "true" swallow tail, having a much larger split in theirs than the others have. The Barn Swallow also has a blue-black back, with a cinnamon-buff underside and dark throat. The Cliff Swallow shares the same coloring as the Barn Swallow, but it has a rusty-beige patch above its tail, and is the only one with no split in its tail. The Bank and Rough-winged Swallows look almost identical, with deep brown backs and light undersides, but the Bank Swallow has a white throat, whereas the other's throat is rusty. The male Tree Swallows are easy to pick out, with their beautiful dark backs (a mixture of blue, green, and black) and crisp white undersides. Swallows' songs are harsh yet musical. The Tree and Barn Swallows' songs are the lightest, and more trilly, whereas the others are rougher and not as musical-sounding. They all can be found in open country near forests, and usually near water.