cliff swallows
Bridge-colony mud builders
Cliff swallows are small migratory birds that build distinctive gourd-shaped mud nests on cliff faces, bridges, and building eaves.
They nest in dense colonies, sometimes numbering thousands of pairs.
The famous swallows of San Juan Capistrano, celebrated for their predictable annual return, are cliff swallows.
- migratory birdsSpecies traveling between seasonal habitats
- fledglingsYoung birds with feathers
- coloniesTerritories under foreign control
- nesting colonyCommunal breeding site
- mud nestsShelters made from soil
birds · nesting · mud · migrations · feathers · forked tail · breeding · courtship display · eaves · hatchings · passerine · species · bridges · insectivorous · foraging · avians · acrobatics · sociality