Least Concern Birds

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Swift swallow feeding on flying insects near African farmlands.

Scientific name	Hirundo rustica
Swahili name	Mchwa
Conservation status	Least Concern
Class	Aves
Order	Passeriformes
Family	Hirundinidae
Size	Male: body length approximately 17-19 cm, weight about 16-22 g; female: slightly smaller and lighter

See this species in the app

How to identify

Back with blue-black sheen; belly and chest orange-red; tail feathers deeply forked, longer in males; crown blue-black; tail clearly fanned during flight

Habitat

Open farmland, grasslands, valleys, near wetlands and human settlements

Diet

Primarily feeds on flying insects such as flies, mosquitoes, beetles; carnivorous

When it is active

Diurnal, mainly active during the day, more active at dawn and dusk

Where it lives

Widely distributed in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, winters in sub-Saharan Africa including Kenya and Masai Mara National Reserve

How to spot it

Observe in open areas or near water sources in the morning or evening, watch for feeding behavior in flight, use telephoto lenses to capture flight posture