Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
- GenusPetrochelidon (Cliff Swallows and Allies)
- SpeciesPetrochelidon pyrrhonota (Cliff Swallow)
The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. The generic name Petrochelidon is derived from the Ancient Greek petros meaning "stone" and khelidon (χελιδών) "swallow", and the specific name pyrrhonota comes from purrhos meaning "flame-coloured" and -notos "-backed". Cliff swallows are extremely social songbirds that can be found in large nesting colonies reaching over 2,000 nests. They are frequently seen flying overhead in large flocks during migration, gracefully foraging over fields for flying insects or perching tightly together on a wire preening under the sun. Cliff swallows build gourd-shaped nests made from mud with small entrance holes. They build their nests tightly together, on top of one another, under bridges or alongside mountain cliffs. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Voyageurs National Park
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Red-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceus
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Cliff Swallow at Voyageurs National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there