How to Identify aNorthern Rough-winged Swallow
Stelgidopteryx serripennis · 4.7–5.5 in (12–14 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Uniform mud-brown above with a dingy brownish throat and chest fading gradually to a white belly. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: Paul Danese / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Second photo: Jshamgochian / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Field marks
- Dusky throat merging softly into pale underparts, with no sharp band
- Plain brown above with no rump patch
- Slightly notched tail
- Steady, floppy, deliberate wingbeats
Similar species
What it sounds like
A low, buzzy, unmusical "brrrt", often doubled.
Behaviour that gives it away
Nests singly in burrows, drainpipes and crevices rather than in the dense colonies its relatives form.
Habitat & range
Rivers, quarries, road cuts, culverts and bridges across most of the United States.
When you'll see it
A summer visitor that arrives to breed in North America.
What it eats
Flying insects caught low over water and open ground.
Did you know?
Tiny hooks along the leading edge of its outer wing feather give it the "rough wing" of its name, though nobody is sure what they are for.
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