# Barn swallow (*Hirundo rustica*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/barn-swallow  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a bird in the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup, belonging to the family Hirundinidae in the order Passeriformes. It is a small, migratory bird with an adult body mass of 17.91 g (up to 19 g) and a wingspan of 32 cm. An aerial invertivore at the carnivore trophic level, it is associated with human-modified land and has a geographic range of 51.7 million km². It lays 4.5 eggs per clutch (up to 5) with 1.8 clutches per year, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 17.9 g – 19 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 32 cm |
| Lifespan | 13.5 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 16 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | human_modified |
| Egg incubation | 15 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.5 – 5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.8 |
| Lifestyle | Aerial |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Hirundinidae
- genus: Hirundo
- species: *Hirundo rustica* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Chelidon procne*, *Chelidon rustica*, *Hirundo americana*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the barn swallow?

The barn swallow is a bird in the songbirds and other perching birds subgroup, in the family Hirundinidae.

### How heavy is a barn swallow?

An adult Barn swallow has a body mass of 17.91 g, with up to 19 g reported. Its wingspan is 32 cm.

### What does the barn swallow eat?

The barn swallow is an invertivore, placed at the carnivore trophic level, and forages in the air.

### Is the barn swallow endangered?

No. The barn swallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a barn swallow live?

The barn swallow has a lifespan of 13.5 years, with up to 16 years reported.

### How many eggs does a barn swallow lay?

The barn swallow lays 4.5 eggs per clutch, up to 5, with 1.8 clutches per year. Incubation lasts 15 days.

### Is the barn swallow migratory?

Yes. The barn swallow is migratory, with a geographic range of 51.7 million km².

### Who named the barn swallow?

The scientific name Hirundo rustica was given by Linnaeus, 1758.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/barn-swallow