# Cave Swallow (*Petrochelidon fulva*) The Cave Swallow is a small bird with a shiny blue back and a buffy chest. It builds its nest in caves and cliffs, using mud to create cozy homes for its family. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Caves, Cliffs ![Cave Swallow](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426251/objects/5979.jpg) ## Appearance The Cave Swallow has a glossy blue-black back with chestnut-colored cheeks and forehead, contrasting with a creamy white belly. Its distinctive square tail helps differentiate it from swallows with deeply forked tails. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Passeriformes - **Family:** Hirundinidae - **Genus:** Petrochelidon ## Interesting facts - Cave Swallows can fly for hours without landing, catching all their meals while on the wing! - Sometimes, thousands of Cave Swallows nest together, making a giant chattering bird city! - Their sticky saliva acts like super-glue to hold mud nests securely onto cave walls or bridges! - They drink water in flight, scooping sips by skimming pond surfaces like tiny jet skis! ## Special abilities - **Mud Master Architect:** Cave Swallows can build intricate, gourd-shaped mud nests, glued together with saliva, that help protect their young. - **Aerial Acrobat Hunter:** Cave Swallows have incredible agility in flight that helps them catch fast-moving insects mid-air for food. - **Communal Cave Dweller:** Cave Swallows have adapted to nest in large colonies within dark caves, providing safety in numbers. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 12-15 cm - **Wingspan:** 28-30 cm - **Weight:** 0.016-0.024 kg - **Lifespan:** 4-8 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 3-5 - **Incubation:** 14-16 days - **Migration Distance:** 3500 km ## Diet & Feeding These speedy birds are expert insect hunters, gobbling up flies, mosquitoes, and beetles mid-air! - **Primary Foods:** flies, mosquitoes, beetles, dragonflies, ants, wasps - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** [Common Green Darner](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-green-darner) (*Anax junius*) — Main food source - **Eats:** House Fly (*Musca domestica*) — Common insect prey - **Eaten by:** [American Kestrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-kestrel) (*Falco sparverius*) — Predator of adults - **Eaten by:** Texas Rat Snake (*Pantherophis obsoletus*) — Raids nests for eggs/chicks - **Shelter:** Brazilian Free-tailed Bat (*Tadarida brasiliensis*) — Often shares cave habitats ## Traits - [Wildlife](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wildlife): Wildlife encompasses all undomesticated animal and plant life existing in their natural habitats. - [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers. - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Aerial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aerial): Aerial creatures spend a significant portion of their lives airborne, utilizing flight for various activities such as hunting, migration, or nesting. - [Cave Dwelling](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/cave-dwelling): Cave dwelling describes organisms specifically adapted to live in underground cave systems, often exhibiting specialized traits due to lack of light. - [Insectivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/insectivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet primarily consists of insects and other small invertebrates. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Enjoy watching these birds from a safe distance to avoid disturbing their nests. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Cave Swallow? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Cave Swallow? 12-15 cm ### What is Cave Swallow's wingspan? 28-30 cm ### How much does Cave Swallow weigh? 0.016-0.024 kg ### How long does Cave Swallow live? 4-8 years ### How fast can Cave Swallow move? 60 km/h ### What does Cave Swallow eat? These speedy birds are expert insect hunters, gobbling up flies, mosquitoes, and beetles mid-air! ### Where is Cave Swallow usually found? Caves, Cliffs ## Where to spot - [The Caverns Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/the-caverns-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Cave Swallow: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cave-swallow)