Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 5.5 in
14 cm - Weight
- 0.6–0.9 oz
17–25 g
Other Names
- Hirondella fauve, Hirondelle (French)
- Golondrina de cuevas, Golondrina fulva (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Two different subspecies of Cave Swallow are found in the United States. The southwestern form is the largest, has grayish sides, and a very pale throat. The Caribbean form that reaches Florida has more tawny sides, a more reddish face, and a darker rump. Another subspecies is found in the Yucatan, and two others occur in South America.
- Cave Swallows that nest in the twilight zone of caves often have their nests in places with minimal light. Individual birds appear to be able to locate these nests by flying past the nest site and then turning toward the nest, which is in better light than the bird’s darker vantage point.
Habitat
Grassland
Nests in some natural or human-made structure (cave, sinkhole, building, silo, bridge, culvert). During the day forages over nearby open areas, often near water.
Food
Insects
Flying insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- White, with fine dark spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Naked and helpless.
Nest Description
Flattened cup made of mud pellets, sometimes with sides extending up and enclosing the bowl. May be covered, with a small entrance tunnel on one side. Lined with grass and plant fibers. Nest placed on a vertical wall, usually in twilight zone of cave or sinkhole. Colonial.
Nest Placement
Building
Behavior
Aerial Forager
Catches insects in flight.
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations increasing and range expanding. Using non-cave breeding sites, especially bridges and culverts under roads.
Credits
- West, S. 1995. Cave Swallow (Hirundo fulva). In The Birds of North America, No. 141 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.