Bird Gallery Index

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (adult)
image © Joseph Kennedy

Family: (Hirundinidae) Swallows

Preferred Habitat: Open country

Seasonal Occurrence: Common spring and fall.

Notes: Unlike most swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows are not very social and do not nest in colonies; they are commonly found in isolated pairs. Preferred nesting sites are dirt banks or holes in buildings and cliffs. They used to be common nesters on the Upper Texas Coast but there are no recent records. Northern Rough-winged Swallows have a distinctive flight pattern which is slower than other swallows. Juveniles have slightly brighter coloring than their parents with cinnamon wing-bars. The Houston Bird Survey has more information and a distribution map for Northern Rough-winged Swallows.
- Susan Billetdeaux

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (juvenile)
image © David McDonald