Cave Swallows
Author: Bruce Neville

Description:
The Cave Swallow is a medium-sized swallow with a short, square tail. The forehead is cinammon and the cap is dark metallic blue. The throat, cheek, and the back of the neck are cinnamon. The back is dark metallic blue with white stripes that are visible when you are up close. The rump is pale cinnamon. The underparts are whitish with a cinnamon wash on the breast and sides beneath the folded wings. The wings and tail are blackish. Males and females are similar. Young birds are duller than adults, the upperparts are blacker, and the breast is paler.

The Cave Swallow is very similar to the Cliff Swallow, which is found in the same area. It is different from the Cliff Swallow because it has a paler cinnamon wash on the breast, rather than the more large blackish coloration on the breast of the Cliff Swallow. Cliff Swallows usually have a white forehead, but some may have a cinnamon forehead, like Cave Swallows. The collar of the Cave Swallow is also paler than that of the Cliff Swallow.

Geographic range:
They breed from the central plateau of Mexico, south and central Texas, southern New Mexico, and parts of Arizona. There are only two groups of Cave Swallows in New Mexico, a large one in Carlsbad Caverns and a smaller one around Las Cruces. Individual Cave Swallows may be found in flocks of swallows throughtout the southern part of the state. The Cave Swallow is particularly common on the Edwards Plateau of Texas. The winter range of Cave Swallows found in New Mexico is unknown, though some birds can be found in the extreme south of Texas during the winter. Other individuals of the southwestern race have been found in California, Nebraska, and Lousiana.

Habitat:
Cave Swallows generally occur in open habitats near places they can build nests. They are also usually found close to water.

Food Web:
Cave Swallows feed on a variety of insects that they can catch in the air. Just how many insects they eat probably changes because of the seasons. Cave Swallows frequently feed in mixed flocks with other kinds of swallows, like Cliff and Barn Swallows.

Reproduction and Development:
The nest is an open cup of dried mud and may contain plant fibers or pebbles. Some nests may also be made of ”mud” and guano from the floor of caves. The nests are lined with feathers or plant fibers. Nests may be reused in following years. The nests are built on walls inside the mouths of caves, in sinkholes, in culverts, or under bridges. The nests are placed away from the entrance of the cave or culvert, but in an area where some light can reach the nest. The birds at Carlsbad nest inside the entrance to the Cavern, while the birds around Las Cruces nest in culverts and under bridges. Cave Swallows nest colonially, which means that they live in a group of other Cave Swallows. The colonies range in size from a few pairs to several hundred.

Cave Swallows are monogamous. Both sexes build the nest, incubate, and care for the young. The female lays from 3 to 5 (usually 3-4) oval white eggs that are finely speckled with reddish-brown or purplish-brown. The eggs are incubated (take care of) for approximately 15 days. The young are born naked and blind. They fledge (leave the nest) in 20 to 30 days.

Behavior:
Cave Swallows fly with other kinds of swallows. They fly by gliding and then flapping. Their voices are generally a twittering “weet” with an occasional “chew” call.

Ecosystem roles:
Swallows are major predators of small insects, so they have a large impact on surrounding populations of insects.

Conservation:
The Cave Swallow has been expanding its range northwestward over the past several decades. With the adoption of bridges and culverts as nesting sites, it has become quite common in central Texas, where it was rare before.

Cool Facts:
• Cave Swallows in their caves are attracted like moths to a flashlight.

Taxonomy:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae
Genus: Petrochelidon
Species: Petrochelidon fulva

References:
Ehrlich, Paul R.; David S. Dobkin; Darryl Wheye. 1988. The Birder's Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon & Schuster, 785 p.

Kaufman, Kenn. 1996. Lives of North American Birds. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 675 p.

National Geographic Society. 2002. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 480 p.

Sibley, David Allen. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds. New York: Knopf, 544 p.

Sibley, David Allen. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior. New York: Knopf, 588 p.

Turner, Angela; and Chris Rose. 1989. Swallows & Martins: An Identification Guide and Handbook. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 258 p.

Related Terms: petrochelidon fulva, golondrina pueblera, buff-throated swallow