Cliff Swallow
Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
- GenusPetrochelidon (Cliff Swallows and Allies)
- SpeciesPetrochelidon pyrrhonota (Cliff Swallow)
The cliff swallow or American cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) is a member of the passerine bird family Hirundinidae, the swallows and martins. The generic name Petrochelidon is derived from the Ancient Greek petros meaning "stone" and khelidon (χελιδών) "swallow", and the specific name pyrrhonota comes from purrhos meaning "flame-coloured" and -notos "-backed". Cliff swallows are extremely social songbirds that can be found in large nesting colonies reaching over 2,000 nests. They are frequently seen flying overhead in large flocks during migration, gracefully foraging over fields for flying insects or perching tightly together on a wire preening under the sun. Cliff swallows build gourd-shaped nests made from mud with small entrance holes. They build their nests tightly together, on top of one another, under bridges or alongside mountain cliffs. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Chapada Diamantina National Park
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Brown-chested Martin
Progne tapera
Gray-breasted Martin
Progne chalybea
White-rumped Swallow
Tachycineta leucorrhoa
White-winged Swallow
Tachycineta albiventer
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Rufous-collared Sparrow
Zonotrichia capensis
Southern House Wren
Troglodytes musculus
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Pale-breasted Thrush
Turdus leucomelas
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Cliff Swallow at Chapada Diamantina National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there