The Barn Swallow has made such good friends with human beings that it is now the most widespread and abundant swallow in the world. As humans have constructed buildings, bridges and culverts, Barn Swallows have expanded their range along with them (Brown and Brown).

The Northern Rough-winged Swallow’s name often begs the question, “What is so rough about this bird’s wing?” The answer is the first primary wing feather.

The Red-winged Blackbird (RWBL) is about 8-3/4" long. They are well known by the male’s orange-red shoulder patches with yellow lower edge. The females are brown above and heavily streaked below, with a buffy-to-whitish eyebrow and a sharp pointed bill.

The Vaux’s Swift (VASW) is about 4.75” long with a wingspan 12” and a weight of 0.6 oz. (17g). The genus name Chaetura (kee-TOO-rah) is Latin from the Greek chaite, stiff hair, bristle, or spine, and oura, tail: spine-tailed. 

Species name is from Latin, red-backed, an allusion to the rump. A squarish tail and "buffy rump" distinguish this swallow from others in our area. Most have a dark chestnut and blackish throat with a pale forehead.