Swallows & Swifts

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

The most widespread swallow in the world, recognized by its deeply forked tail, blue-black upperparts, and rusty-orange throat. It builds cup-shaped mud nests on buildings and bridges.

Current regional viewing notes

Around buildings, docks, and bridges in Hoonah; swoops low over fields and water catching insects.

Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.

Habitat

Open areas near buildings, barns, docks, and bridges; farmlands and meadows.

Diet

Flying insects including flies, beetles, moths, and mosquitoes caught on the wing.

Natural history note

Barn Swallows have followed human civilization for thousands of years — they now almost exclusively nest on human-made structures rather than their ancestral cave sites.