The words Dog Breed Info with the letter D inside of a black paw print

List of Types of Swallow

Birds in the Wild

Close Up - Barn Swallow lookingover the edge of its nest

Adult Barn Swallow

Swallows are in the Hirundinidae family. They have sharply pointed, angled wings and forked tails. There are 75 different types of swallows worldwide. Eight of the seventy-five species can be found in the United States and Canada, which live in the northern hemisphere and migrate south for the winter. They fly around in large flocks, eating insects out of the air. A flock of swallows require about 6,000 bugs a day to survive. Some of the insects they eat include houseflies, bees, hoverflies, mayflies, bluebottles and sometimes moth caterpillars that hang from the trees. Swallows are territorial birds and usually return to the same nesting site each year. They build mud pellet nests on buildings’ eaves and other structures. They spend most of their time in flight looking for food.

List of Types of Swallows

  • African River Martin
  • Andean Swallow
  • Angola Swallow
  • Asian House Martin
  • Bahama Swallow
  • Banded Martin
  • Bank Swallow
  • Barn Swallow
  • Black-and-rufous Swallow
  • Black-capped Swallow
  • Black-collared Swallow
  • Black Rough-winged Swallow (Black Saw-wing)
  • Blue-and-white Swallow
  • Blue Swallow
  • Brown-bellied Swallow
  • Brown-chested Martin
  • Brown-throated Sand Martin
  • Caribbean Martin
  • Cave Swallow
  • Chestnut-collared Swallow
  • Chilean Swallow
  • Cliff Swallow
  • Congo Sand Martin
  • Crag Martin
  • Dusky Crag Martin
  • Ethiopian Swallow
  • Fairy Martin
  • Fanti Rough-winged Swallow
  • Forest Swallow
  • Galapagos Martin
  • Golden Swallow
  • Gray-breasted Martin
  • Greater Striped Swallow
  • Grey-rumped Swallow
  • House Martin
  • Lesser Striped Swallow
  • Mangrove Swallow
  • Nepal House Martin
  • Mosque Swallow
  • Mountain Rough-winged Swallow
  • Northern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Pacific Swallow (Hill Swallow)
  • Pale-footed Swallow
  • Pearl-breasted Swallow
  • Peruvian Martin
  • Pied-winged Swallow
  • Preuss's Swallow
  • Purple Martin
  • Red-chested Swallow
  • Red-rumped Swallow
  • Red Sea Swallow
  • Red-throated Swallow
  • Rock Martin
  • Rufous-chested Swallow
  • Sand Martin
  • Sinaloa Martin
  • South African Swallow
  • Southern Martin
  • Southern Rough-winged Swallow
  • Square-tailed Sawwing
  • Streak-throated Swallow
  • Striated Swallow
  • Tawny-headed Swallow
  • Tree Swallow
  • Tree Martin
  • Tumbes Swallow
  • Violet-green Swallow
  • Welcome Swallow
  • White-backed Swallow
  • White-banded Swallow
  • White-eyed River Martin
  • White-headed Saw-wing
  • White-rumped Swallow
  • White-tailed Swallow
  • White-thighed Swallow
  • White-throated Blue Swallow
  • White-throated Swallow
  • White-winged Swallow
  • Wire-tailed Swallow

Video clip of a large flock of swallows

Birds in the Wild