Bank Swallow

A raspy shuffle of trills, buzzy scraps, and quick chatter comes in short bursts. These are calls rather than the softer bubbling courtship song.

Long-distance migrant. Breeds across northern North America, Europe, and Asia; winters in South America (New World) and sub-Saharan Africa to India (Old World).

Open country near water—riverbanks, lakeshores, coastal bluffs, sand and gravel pits, agricultural fields, and wetlands—where vertical earthen walls are available for nesting.

Arrives on the breeding grounds from April to May, raises 1–2 broods through July, forms large premigratory flocks in August, and departs southward by September. Winters in the tropics from October to March.

The Bank Swallow is the smallest North American swallow, a streamlined brown-and-white bird that nests colonially in burrows dug into sandy riverbanks and lakeshores. Agile, light, and constantly in motion, it hawks insects over open water and fields, often in large flocks during migration.