SWALLOWS: BARN SWALLOW 
459 
Range. —Breeds in Transition, Austral, and Tropical Zones from southern 
British Columbia, Montana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Ontario, and Massachusetts 
south to southern United States—from Florida to southern California— and to Vera 
Cruz and Jalisco, Mexico; winters from central 
Mexico south to Central America, and Costa Rica; 
casual in Manitoba. 
State Records. —The Rough-winged Swallow 
was found breeding quite commonly at Zuni, the 
summer of 1S73 (Henshaw), and specimens were 
collected. It is fair to presume that this is the bird 
which Doctor Coues records as an abundant breeder 
at this same place and which he called the Bank 
Swallow. The Rough-winged also breeds near Ship- 
rock, 1907, and in the neighboring parts of Colorado 
(Gilman); it breeds just over the New Mexico line at 
Trinidad, Colorado, and undoubtedly breeds locally 
across northern New Mexico. [At Lake Burford one pair and a few others were 
noted between May 23 and June 9, 1918 (Wetmore.)]—W. W. Cooke. 
Nest. —In holes or crevices, in masonry and often in abutments of bridges; lined 
with dry leaves, grass stems, and twigs. Eggs: 3 to 6, white. 
Food. —Flies are the favorite food, amounting to nearly a third. Among othe 
insects of interest are ants, tree and leaf hoppers, alfalfa weevils, cotton boll weevils 
rice weevils, engraver beetles, and flea beetles. 
General Habits. —The gray-breasted, earth-colored Rough-wing 
does not live in such large colonies as the other swallows, five or six 
pairs or even a single pair frequently breeding by themselves, although 
in migration they collect in large flocks. As a rule they do not excavate 
their own burrows but use natural cavities, holes in masonry, or as 
Mr. Tyler finds, holes dug by some of the smaller mammals. If these 
are chosen, he says, “before occupancy they are thoroughly renovated, 
as is evidenced by the small mounds of dust, leaves, and trash that are 
to be seen below the entrance to occupied cavities.” The nests are 
placed “from two to four feet from the entrance, and often several 
inches above the mouth of the excavation, so there is no possibility 
of even a driving rain entering their tunnel” (1913, p. 93). 
AMERICAN BARN SWALLOW: Hirdndo erythrogaster Boddaert 
Description. — Length: 5.7—7.7 inches, wing 4.G-4.9, tail 3.7-4.1, in adult male 
forked for about 1.8-2.1 inches. Adult male: Forehead and underparts tawny brown, 
paler posteriorly; upper parts glossy steel-blue, with partial collar of the same; tail and 
wings dusky, faintly glossed with greenish, forked tail with all but middle feathers with 
while spots; wing coverts and tertials broadly margined with steel-blue. Adult female: 
Similar but underparts usually paler and outer tail feathers sometimes shorter. 
Young: Much duller, crown and hind-neck sooty black, with less gloss than on back; 
forehead dull light brownish or buffy; throat pinkish cinnamon. 
Range. —Breeds from northwestern Alaska, northern Mackenzie, southern 
Manitoba, and central Quebec south to North Carolina, northern Arkansas, southern 
Texas (west of 97°), Guanajuato, Jalisco, Topic; migrates through Bahamas and 
Fig. 78. Rough-winged 
Swallow 
