Cliff swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

The Cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Cliffs, bridges and buildings across the Americas. It eats insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the Cliff swallow lives

Cliffs, bridges and buildings across the Americas.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It builds mud nests in huge colonies under bridges and cliffs.

Hear the Cliff swallow

Recorded by Stanislas Wroza (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1014908. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Cliff swallow

Where does the Cliff swallow live?

The Cliff swallow lives in United States and Canada. Cliffs, bridges and buildings across the Americas.

What does the Cliff swallow eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Cliff swallow endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.