Barn Swallow

Barn Swallow

Scientific Name: Hirundo rustica

Malay Name: Layang-layang Hijrah

Chinese Name: 家燕

Range: Breeding Range: (Worldwide) widespread

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: rustica, savignii, transitiva, tytleri, gutturalis, saturata, mandschurica, erythrogaster.

Local Subspecies: mandschurica, gutturalis, saturata

Size: 15 cm

Identification: Forehead rufous chestnut, upperparts steel blue, pale or rufous underparts, variable depending on subspecies. Told apart from Pacific Swallow by presence of steel-blue breastband. Told apart from sand martin by more deeply forked tail.

Similar looking species: Sand Martin, Pacific Swallow, Asian House Martin, Eastern Red-rumped Swallow, Siberian House Martin

Habitat: Widespread.

Behaviour/Ecology: Told apart from other airborne birds by flying by sweeping wings backwards.

Local Status: Very common migrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Location: Widespread.

Featured reports: Jul 2024

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Estimated average number of individuals by week based on eBird data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024
Peak week Oct 01-Oct 07
Early date 02 Jul 2022
Late date 27 Jun 2010
One of the earliest migrant species to arrive in Singapore, but the largest numbers are observed during the raptor migration in October and November as they pass through the island on their southward passage.
Barn Swallow at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Barn Swallow at NSRCC. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Barn Swallow at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Barn Swallow at Jelutong Tower. Photo Credit: Francis Yap
Barn Swallow at Punggol Barat. Photo Credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Barn Swallow)

References:

BirdLife International. (2019). Hirundo rustica. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T22712252A137668645.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Barn Swallow. Retrieved on June 13, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/barn-swallow.

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