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 Madidi National Park
Southern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx ruficollis
White-banded Swallow
Atticora fasciata
White-winged Swallow
Tachycineta albiventer
Blue-and-white Swallow
Notiochelidon cyanoleuca
Gray-breasted Martin
Progne chalybea
Brown-chested Martin
Progne tapera
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Southern Martin
Progne elegans
Brown-bellied Swallow
Notiochelidon murina
Silver-beaked Tanager
Ramphocelus carbo
Moustached Wren
Pheugopedius genibarbis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Cliff Swallow at Madidi 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