Barn swallow
Migratory passerine bird, and the most widespread species of swallow / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is the most widespread species of swallow in the world, occurring on all continents, with vagrants reported even in Antarctica.[2][3] It appears to have the largest natural distribution of any of the world's passerines, ranging over 251 million square kilometres globally.[citation needed] It is a distinctive passerine bird with blue upperparts and a long, deeply forked tail. In Anglophone Europe, it is just called the swallow; in northern Europe, it is the only member of family Hirundinidae called a "swallow" rather than a "martin".[citation needed]
Barn swallow | |
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H. rustica at Melikhovo, Russia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Hirundinidae |
Genus: | Hirundo |
Species: | H. rustica |
Binomial name | |
Hirundo rustica | |
Subspecies | |
6, see text | |
Range of H. rustica Breeding Resident Passage Non-breeding | |
Synonyms | |
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There are six subspecies of barn swallow, which breed across the Northern Hemisphere.[2] Two subspecies, (H. r. savignii and H. r. transitiva) have fairly restricted ranges in the Nile valley and eastern Mediterranean, respectively.[2] The other four are more widespread, with winter ranges covering much of the Southern Hemisphere.[4]
The barn swallow is a bird of open country that normally nests in man-made structures and consequently has spread with human expansion. It builds a cup nest from mud pellets in barns or similar structures and feeds on insects caught in flight.[5] This species lives in close association with humans, and its insect-eating habits mean that it is tolerated by humans; this acceptance was reinforced in the past by superstitions regarding the bird and its nest.[citation needed] There are frequent cultural references to the barn swallow in literary and religious works due to both its living in close proximity to humans and its annual migration.[citation needed] The barn swallow is the national bird of Austria and Estonia.[citation needed]