Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)

Barn Swallow [ventral view of juvenile]. Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; Cumberland County, Tennessee; 21 June 2012.

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Abundance: Common during spring, summer, and fall; Occasional during winter; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts indicate that the population breeding in the Region is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; Visitor during winter (see Out-of-Season [Winter] Records [below]); photograph (see above).

Regional High Count: 1000 (25 August 2001; Pulaski County, Kentucky; Roseanna M. Denton); SBC/SBB High Count: 461 (3 May 2011; White County, Tennessee [SBC]; m.ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 25 (29 September 2007; White County, Tennessee [FBC]; m. ob.).

Out-of-Season (Winter) Records:

22 November–2 December 1988 (1) Boring Pond, Putnam County, Tennessee (Stephen J. Stedman, Barbara H. Stedman; Stedman 2006–2017).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 25 March; fall departure largely complete by 1 October.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 2002–2011 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent). 

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 17 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 45 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to YardWatch frequency classifications of Uncommon and Fairly Common, respectively; these YardWatch frequency classifications are inconsistent with the overall Regional abundance classification.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: The mustering of fall flocks of Barn Swallows takes place mainly during late August, but sizable flocks of this familiar swallow are sometimes encountered into October. The Regional High Count is composed of mustering individuals.

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited