Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a common winter visitor and probable breeding resident in Haryana. This bird is found in wetlands and cultivated lands.

Order: PASSERIFORMES   Family: Hirundinidae   Size: 18 cm.

Barn Swallow is a graceful small bird and is named so for its affinity for the old wooden barns once found on many farms. Swallows are sociable and often gather in large flocks of different species. They spend a great deal of their time in the air; nearly all of their food is captured on the wing. They are a familiar sight in rural areas, following the farmers as they plough and catching the insects stirred up by their progress.

Both males and females share in the construction of the nest which sometimes takes the two birds eight full 14-hour days to complete. The nests are usually constructed of mud mixed with straw, grasses, or horsehair, and cemented to the vertical surfaces of old beams or rafters. Where a flat surface or crevice is available, the cement is omitted.

Identification: Male - Upperparts iridescent blue-black; forehead, throat and upper breast, rufous chestnut; rest of under-parts buff; tail deeply forked, with white spots near tip of all but central feathers. Female - Similar but under-parts paler and tail less forked.