There are seven species of swallows (not counting the Bahamas Swallow) that are found in the United States. They are the Bank, Barn, Cave, Cliff, Northern Rough-winged, Tree and Violet Green Swallows. The Barn Swallow is the most easiest to identify.

Description: It is the only swallow with a very long forked tail. It has whitish to orange undersides with a dark Rufous throat. 

Habitat: Open areas especially near ponds and lakes. 

Diet: They mainly eat insects, but will occasionally eat berriers.

Range: Across the U.S. from lower Alaska all the way to the tip of S.A. and even Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles where they can winter. 

Breeding: Their nests are made of mud pellets, straw and lined with feathers. They like to build the nests onto man-made structures like bridges and walls of buildings, but sometimes, they’ll use crevices and occasionally in caves. The picture above shows a nest built right above a doorway leading into a restaurant. I was standing no more than 5 feet away when I took this picture. They can make their nests in large colonies. 

They lay anywhere from 3-5 eggs which are white with brown spots. The young are attended by both parents and sometimes even helpers from a prior brood. I saw two different swallows bring the young some insects. 

Fascinating Facts: They bathe and drink on the fly and you see this quite often. A flock of them is called a Kettle. They are the most abundant of all the swallows in the world. They mature at 12 months.