Bank Swallow Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBank Swallow
Small songbird with a small head and tiny bill. Adults are brown above with a brown breast band and a white swoosh on the neck.
© Darlene Friedman / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, July 31, 2020© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 22, 2017
Adult
Nests in burrows excavated using its feet and bill, placed along banks and bluffs of rivers and streams, as well as gravel quarries and roadcuts.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMissouri, June 01, 1999Not all videos have sound
In flight, note pale belly and darker wings with a brown band across the chest.
© Dana Siefer / Macaulay LibraryIowa, July 16, 2020Brown above and white below with a brown band across its chest.
© Adam Perrier / Macaulay LibraryYukon Territory, June 03, 2020© Manny Salas / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, July 17, 2020
© Jonah Benningfield / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 18, 2020
Adults are brown above with a white throat that wraps up around the side of the neck. Note slightly forked tail.
© Darlene Friedman / Macaulay LibraryMichigan, July 31, 2020© André Lanouette / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, June 03, 2019
Habitat
Nests in burrows; forages for insects fairly low over fields, water, and other open areas.
© Oliver Burton / Macaulay LibraryBretagne, July 30, 2017Similar SpeciesNorthern Rough-winged Swallow
Adult
Northern Rough-winged Swallows have a dingy throat and breast and lack the Bank Swallow's dark breast band.
© Luke Seitz / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 25, 2013Similar SpeciesTree Swallow
Juvenile
Juvenile Tree Swallows are brown above like Bank Swallows and have a dingy wash across the breast, but the band is not nearly as strong as it is on Bank Swallows.
© andrew aldrich / Macaulay LibraryMaine, August 04, 2017Similar SpeciesViolet-green Swallow
Adult male
Violet-green Swallows have white patches on the sides of their rump that Bank Swallows lack. Violet-greens are clean white underneath, lacking the Bank's dark breast band.
© Jason B Bidgood / Macaulay LibraryColorado, April 30, 2016Similar SpeciesCliff Swallow
Adult
Cliff Swallows have a cream colored rump and collar, whereas Bank Swallows are entirely brown above.
© Dorian Anderson / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, June 02, 2017Rotate Your Device to Better Compare
Compare with Similar Species
Click on an image to compare
Species in This Family
Swallows(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Hirundinidae)
Don't miss a thing! Join our email list
The Cornell Lab will send you updates about birds,
birding, and opportunities to help bird conservation.