List of Birds of Great Britain - Swallows and Martins

Swallows and Martins

Order: Passeriformes. Family: Hirundinidae

A group of passerines characterized by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Their adaptations include a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and short bills with wide gape. There are about 83 species worldwide, 8 in Britain.

Common name Binomial Status
Sand Martin Riparia riparia A breeding summer visitor
Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor A rare vagrant
Purple Martin Progne subis A rare vagrant
Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris A rare vagrant
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica A breeding summer visitor
House Martin Delichon urbicum A breeding summer visitor
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica A rare vagrant
Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota A rare vagrant

Read more about this topic:  List Of Birds Of Great Britain

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    The perch swallows the grub-worm, the pickerel swallows the perch, and the fisherman swallows the pickerel; and so all the chinks in the scale of being are filled.
    Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)