Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Landsvalen, også kaldet forstuesvalen, er en svaleart. Den er 16-22 centimeter, er en elegant flyver og adskiller sig fra de andre danske svalearter med sin røde pande og strube og sit sorte brystbånd.
Slim swallow, steel blue-black above with a rufous forehead and throat, a blue-black breast band and pale underparts. The deeply forked tail ends in long, thin streamers with white spots.
Can be confused with
- Common House Martin — House Martin has a white rump and pure white underparts, lacking the Barn Swallow’s red throat and long streamers, and builds a closed nest outside under the eaves.
- Common Swift — Common Swift is uniformly blackish-brown below as well, with scythe-shaped wings and screaming calls — and never perches on wires.
Plumage and variation
Male and female: The male is glossier above with longer tail streamers than the female.
Juvenile: Juvenile is browner with a paler face and lacks the long streamers.
Voice
The call is a "witt" or "witt-witt"; a sharp "siflitt" at danger. The song is a lively twitter.
Behaviour
Hawks flying insects in low, fast, agile flight over open ground and water. Breeds indoors in stables and outbuildings on beams and ledges; roosts communally in reed beds outside the season. Perches openly on wires.
When and where
A common breeder around farmland nationwide. Arrives in flocks around 1 May, lays in June and again in late July, and leaves Denmark in late September for southern Africa.
Facts
Wingspan
32 cm
Conservation status
ikke truet
Relatives
Family
swallows and martins
Hirundinidae
Order
passerines
Passeriformes
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