Barn Swallow

Bird Photos / Barn Swallow

Last update: 7/21/2021

There are many Barn Swallows in our area. There are also Bank Swallows, Cliff Swallows, and Tree Swallows too. I saw plenty of swallows at Swan Harbor, but it's hard to tell some of them apart. The first two photos are of a bird we saw in Susquehanna Park, and the third one was from Swan Harbor.

This colorful, mostly blue Barn Swallow, stopped by to check us out at the picnic area of Susquehanna State Park on May 22nd, 2005. We initially thought it was either an Indigo Bunting or a Bluebird, but we were wrong. Thanks to Les from the Harford Bird Club, we now know it's a Barn Swallow.

On August 13th, 2005, I went to Swan Harbor Farm near our house to photograph some birds. There were many, many swallows on the wires. I think all 3 of these are barn swallows. The two on the outside fit the main description, and the one in the middle fits the description of the darker "morph." The deeply forked tail gives away the bird's identity as a barn swallow, but sometimes the wings cover the ends of the tail so you cannot see how much it is forked. That, plus some similarity in coloration, makes it hard for me to tell them apart.

The next two Barn Swallows were in the marshy area below the Havre de Grace, MD promenade on June 4th, 2006.

I saw these swallows on the wire at Swan Harbor in mid August 2007.

These barn swallows were actually on the roof of a barn at Swan Harbor on August 10th, 2008.

I saw these birds at the Brigantine NWR in New Jersey on July 31st, 2010. I think the one on the right is a newly fledged young bird. Note the downy white feathers. I am not sure about the bird on the left.