Scientific Name: Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Residency: A common and widespread swallow species in Arizona during summer and migration; seen in southwestern Arizona (including Maricopa County) during migration. In summertime, it is seen in the remainder of the state (northern, eastern and central areas).

Diet: Mainly flying insects; rarely berries. Feeds in close-knit flocks.

Predators:   American Kestrels, Great Horned Owls, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Black-billed Magpies, Loggerhead Shrikes, Common Grackles and Bull snakes.

Nesting: Male and female build a gourd-shaped nest with narrow entrance tunnel. Nest made of mud pellets, and lined with grass and feathers. Lays 1-6 eggs, white with brown speckling. One to three broods per year. May even have two broods in the same season.

Nesting Records:

Notes: Colonial, with many nests lined up beneath eaves of buildings or cliff overhangs (up to 3,700 nests in one spot!). Nests are sometimes built under bridges or in culverts. Members of colony may return to the same nest sites each year. Within a colony birds try to steal mud and grass from each other?s nests. A female may carry her eggs in her bill over to another swallow's nest, or even lay her eggs directly in another's nest.