Cave Swallow

The Cave Swallow is closely related to the more familiar Cliff Swallow, sharing a similar chunky build and square-cornered tail, but with a reversed face pattern: Cave Swallow has a warm buffy-cinnamon forehead and throat, rufous cheeks, and a dark blue-black crown and back, with a pale, buffy-orange rump.

Originally a cave nester (as its name suggests), it has adapted readily to human-made structures, and colonies now commonly nest under highway bridges and in culverts, which has helped the species expand its range in Texas over recent decades.

Key field marks

• Buffy-cinnamon forehead and throat
• Rufous cheeks, dark blue-black crown and back
• Pale buffy-orange rump
• Squarish tail (not deeply forked)

Similar species

• Cliff Swallow: opposite face pattern—dark chestnut throat and pale, whitish forehead—with a whiter, less buffy rump.
• Barn Swallow: deeply forked tail, rufous throat and forehead but blue-black (not buffy) crown, longer streamers.

Range and habitat

Cave Swallow breeds in south Texas, the Caribbean (including Puerto Rico and Cuba), parts of Florida, and Mexico, nesting colonially in caves, sinkholes, culverts, and increasingly under highway overpasses and bridges.

Migration

Texas populations are migratory, wintering mainly in Mexico, though the species has become increasingly regular in winter in parts of Texas and the Gulf Coast; Caribbean populations are largely resident.

Behavior

Highly social, nesting and foraging in colonies, often alongside Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows at bridge and culvert sites.

Voice

A twittering chatter with weak, squeaky notes, generally softer and less strident than Cliff Swallow's calls.

Feeding

Catches flying insects on the wing, foraging over open country, water, and around bridges and culverts near the colony.

Nesting and breeding

Builds a mud nest (often more open cup-shaped than the fully enclosed gourd nest of Cliff Swallow) on cave walls, culverts, or bridge undersides, frequently in dense colonies. The female incubates 3-4 eggs.