Listen to the Cliff swallow
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the Cliff swallow
The Cliff swallow is a bird in the family Hirundinidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 28 cm.
What does the Cliff swallow sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as call and song. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
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.
More from the family Hirundinidae
Barn swallow
Hirundo rustica
Sand martin
Riparia riparia
Western house martin
Delichon urbicum
Eurasian crag martin
Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Eastern red-rumped swallow
Cecropis daurica
Wire-tailed swallow
Hirundo smithii
Tree swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Purple martin
Progne subis
Lesser striped swallow
Cecropis abyssinica
Blue-and-white swallow
Pygochelidon cyanoleuca
Violet-green swallow
Tachycineta thalassina
White-banded swallow
Atticora fasciata
Frequently asked questions
What does a Cliff swallow sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the Cliff swallow on this page, including its call and song. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the Cliff swallow endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cliff swallow as “least concern”.
What family does the Cliff swallow belong to?
The Cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) belongs to the family Hirundinidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- Call · Wildlife Loop Rd, Custer State Park, South Dakota by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Wildlife Loop Rd, Custer State Park, South Dakota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1591775 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Cliff swallow – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Don DeBold – CC BY-SA 2.0