Conservation status: Amber
Swallows are small birds with dark, glossy-blue backs, red throats, pale underparts and long tail streamers. They are extremely agile in flight and spend most of their time on the wing. They are widespread breeding birds in the Northern Hemisphere, migrating south in winter.
Swallow numbers in the UK have fluctuated over the last 30 years with pronounced regional variation in trends. The species is amber listed due to population declines across Europe.
Latin name
Hirundo rustica
Family
Swallows and martins (Hirundinidae)
Where to see them
Swallows are found in areas where there is a ready and accessible supply of small insects. They are particularly fond of open pasture with access to water and quiet farm buildings. Large reedbeds in late summer and early autumn can be good places to look for pre-migration roosts.
When to see them
March to October.
What they eat
A range of small invertebrates.
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | 726,000 territories | - | - |