10 Fascinating Barn Swallow Facts

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Barn Swallows Are Revered

An adult barn swallow gracefully glides over a marsh.

Estonia and Austria, two European countries, have named this species their national bird.

Barn Swallows and Early Conservation

George Grinnell played a huge role in early conservation. After he became editor of Forest and Stream magazine in 1876, he launched a campaign to stop barn swallows and egrets from being hunted for hat feathers.

Learn how to identify and attract a purple martin.

Barn Swallow Meaning and Symbolism

An illustration of a barn swallow flying through the air.

Traditionally, British sailors would get a barn swallow tattoo after traveling 5,000 nautical miles. The bird symbolized the hope of the sailor returning home or to a loved one.

Barn Swallow Nests and Eggs

Male and female pairs build an open cup-shaped nest together, working into the base, dried grass and white feathers to provide a soft lining. Feathers are popular nest-lining items for several kinds of swallows. Barn swallows commonly nest in the eaves of houses.

During the breeding season, keep an eye out for puddles on your property. You may see these birds collecting bits of mud for their nests. If you’re lucky, they may come back to the same nesting spots each year.

An adult barn swallow flies up to a nest with young awaiting their next meal.

Each nest holds four to five bird eggs on average. Eggs are very pale, elongated ovals with reddish brown spots. Breeding pairs have one or two broods a year.

Barn swallows sometimes raise a different brood in the same nest.

Learn more about swallow nests and nesting habits.

Will Barn Swallows Nest in a Bird House?

barn swallow nest, do birds reuse nests — Baby barn swallows inside a nest

Barn swallows will gladly take up residence on a nest shelf or a nest box. Visit the NestWatch website to learn about nest shelves and where to place them.

These birds prefer the eaves of roofs and under structures like bridges. Before these man-made structures were common in North America, barn swallows primarily nested in caves.

Next, learn how to make a purple martin gourd house.

What Do Barn Swallows Eat?

Some experts suggest that one barn swallow can gobble up to 850 bugs a day. They’re on the hunt for larger insects like flies, beetles and wasps. Tree swallows have a more varied diet.

Do Barn Swallows Visit Bird Feeders?

Barn swallows skip most feeders, including suet feeders. They like areas with clear airspace and plenty of bugs. But if you put out crushed eggshells, they may take a nibble. This helps them with digestion and gives them a boost of calcium.

Cliff swallow vs barn swallow: find out how to spot the differences.

Barn Swallows Eat While Flying

These birds are commonly seen swooping low over fields or water, eating their food on the go. But they’re also known to look for prey up to 100 feet in the air.

Discover fascinating facts about swift birds.

Barn Swallow Song

Bird sounds courtesy of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Like northern cardinals, both male and female barn swallows sing during the breeding season.

Next, learn how to identify violet-green swallows.

Barn Swallow Range

Barnswallow Rangemap 2025 Birds & Blooms

Barn swallows are found all over the world. You can spot a barn swallow on six continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. They’re most common over fields, farmland and water. They are a long-distance migrant that can be seen at many spring migration hotspots across America.

See expert tips to identify more types of swallows.

Sources

Author

Kaitlin Stainbrook

Kaitlin Stainbrook has been writing about birding and gardening for nearly a decade. While the associate editor of Birds & Blooms magazine, she dove deep into all aspects of birding and gardening and worked closely with experts in the field. She continues to learn all she can about birding and gardening, and is always looking for houseplants he...

Reviewer

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman

As a teenager in the 1970s, Kenn Kaufman hitch-hiked all over North America in pursuit of birds, an adventure later chronicled in his cult-classic book Kingbird Highway. After several years as a professional nature tour leader, taking groups to all seven continents, he transitioned to a career as a writer, editor, and illustrator. His 14 books incl...

Fact Checker

Kirsten Schrader

Now Birds & Blooms' content director, Kirsten has been writing about birding and gardening for 17 years. Her writing and editing roles have spanned the print and digital landscape. Although she has traveled to see amazing birds throughout the U.S., Kirsten has one dream bucket list bird—the male painted bunting.