{"id":12528,"date":"2022-12-19T06:22:22","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:22:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=12528"},"modified":"2022-12-19T06:22:23","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T11:22:23","slug":"birds-that-look-like-barn-swallows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/birds-that-look-like-barn-swallows\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Birds That Look Like Barn Swallows"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Barn swallows are beautiful birds, but it can be easy to confuse them with some other types of birds, especially to those in the same family. How can you learn to tell these birds apart? Let\u2019s find out as we discuss some of the birds that look like barn swallows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds That Look Like Barn Swallows<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Eastern Bluebirds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Eastern<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Eastern bluebirds are migratory birds found throughout much of the eastern United States as well as parts of Mexico and Central America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These pretty little songbirds share many characteristics with barn swallows. Both types of birds are blue on top and orange to brown on their undersides, and they are both roughly the same size as each other. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are also both migratory birds, though they do not necessarily share the same migrational paths. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing that sets them apart is the darkness of their coloring. Barn swallows are a darker, richer blue color, while bluebirds are a lighter, more sky-blue shade.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, barn swallows have a more sleek, streamlined appearance. Bluebirds lack this sleekness, and they also lack the characteristic forked tail that swallows have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, barn swallows have a much larger range than bluebirds. They are found throughout much of the world, migrating between the northern and southern hemispheres depending on the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Cave Swallows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Cave<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belonging to the same family as barn swallows, cave swallows are found in a much smaller range. They are found only in extreme southern portions of the United States, parts of Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cave swallows look very similar to barn swallows while in flight, as they both have similar body and wing shapes. They both have noticeable orange-brown throats.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, cave swallows have more muted colors than barn swallows. They have whitish undersides, dark blue-gray wings, and a matching blue-gray mark above their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, their tail is distinct from that of the barn swallow\u2019s: it is short and squared, lacking the long fork-like feathers more common to the swallow family. Cave swallows are also a couple of inches shorter than barn swallows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Cliff Swallows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cliff swallows look very much like cave swallows, and their range is much wider, overlapping many of the same areas that barn swallows inhabit. With this in mind, it is easy to mistake these birds for barn swallows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cliff swallows are found throughout much of North, Central, and South America, migrating between hemispheres depending on the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These birds have short, squarish tails just like cave swallows do, and they are generally about the same size as cave swallows. This means that they are smaller than barn swallows and easy to tell apart by their tail feathers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, cliff swallows have blue heads and orange-brown throats, and the coloring is very similar to that of barn swallows. If you have ever seen a barn swallow up close, you would find it easy to mistake a cliff swallow for a barn swallow based on the coloring alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Violet-Green Swallows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Violet-green<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Violet-green swallows are beautiful birds found primarily west of the Rocky Mountains in North America. They also migrate to Mexico and Central America during the winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These brightly-colored birds are just as their name describes them: they have iridescent greenish feathers on their backs which fade to more violet tones at their wings and tails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of their coloring, it is easy to tell them apart from barn swallows if you get a good look at them. However, if you see them in flight, you will notice that they look quite similar: both barn swallows and violet-green swallows have the same distinctive wing shapes and rounded bodies.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, though, looking at their tails will help you tell them apart. Barn swallows have forked tails, while violet-green swallows have short, squarish tails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Tree Swallows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tree swallows are common throughout much of North and Central America. On first glance, you might assume these birds are actually a type of bluebird due to their coloring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tree swallows have the same wing and body shape as barn swallows, and their blue coloring is often very close to the same shade. However, tree swallows do have a few differences that make it possible to distinguish them from barn swallows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the blue shading is very similar, tree swallows don\u2019t have the orange-brown markings that barn swallows do. Instead, their undersides are a bright snowy white, which contrasts quite noticeably from the dark blue of their wings, tails, and backs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their tapered tails set them apart from many of their cousins on this list, but they do not have the long forked tail feathers that barn swallows have. Instead, their tails look similar to the fins of a fish\u2019s tail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out this video to learn more about these pretty birds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QjY2d8TTeX4<\/a>