TROPIC and NEAR-TROPIC BIRD COLLECTION

Barn Swallow Flight Barn Swallow- Hirundo rustica Barn Swallow- Hirundo rustica, Order PASSERIFORMES - Family HIRUNDINIDAE - Subfamily Hirundininae. The only swallow that is truly swallow-tailed and the only swallow with white tail spots. These barn swallows were found in large numbers in the sediment holding ponds in Acton Lake in Heuston Woods in early May. When not perched on branches, they were swooping down and skimming the water surface. (Photo: May 3, 2004, Canon 10D, EF 100-400mm f/4.5 5.6 L IS USM) "A familiar inhabitant of barns and other outbuildings, the Barn Swallow is easily recognized by its long forked tail. It was originally a cave breeder, but now the swallow nests almost exclusively on man-made structures. he Barn Swallow is the most abundant and widely distributed swallow species in the world. It breeds throughout the northern hemisphere and winters in much of the southern hemisphere." For More Species Info: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Barn_Swallow_dtl.html

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Photos Copyright R. Hays Cummins. Authorization required. For permission, contact hays@environment-education-press.org

Sources of species identification and other amazing info include (1) Cornell Lab of Ornithology--a fantastic site; (2)Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Peterson Field Guide Series, Fifth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company; (3) The National Audubon Society's Sibley Guide to Birds and (4) Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Third Edition, National Geographic, Washington, D.C.