On the Wing #69: Swift, Swallow, or Martin?
While my parent's were visiting me this weekend, the subject turned to the sickle-winged birds that skate over the pond on thin air, twittering as they go. I am of course referring to Tree Swallows ( Tachycineta bicolor ), one of the earliest swallows to return to the Eastern Seaboard come March and April. This came up again after I pointed out some Chimney Swifts ( Chaetura pelagica ) shooting around in the skies above Labertville, NJ. I remember my dad asking, "What is the difference between swifts, swallows, and martins then?" It was an appropriate question. They look fairly similar and can be mistaken for one another if the viewer is inexperienced. Swallows and martins are a diversely colored family of 83 species that range over much of the globe. The most common is the circumpolar Barn Swallow ( Hirundo rustica ) that nests over much of the Northern Hemisphere and likewise winters over much of the Southern Hemisphere. Generally the name "swallow" is ...