Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)

–  —

Abundance: Uncommon to sometimes Fairly Common during spring, summer, and early fall; recorded in 23 Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); data from the Regional bird-monitoring efforts indicate that the population breeding in the Region is increasing and has been doing so for several decades (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident.

Regional High Count and Foray High Count: 1000 (20 June 2012; Bledsoe County, Tennessee; Edmund K. LeGrand); SBC/SBB High Count: 250 (26 April 2008; Jackson County, Tennessee [SBB]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: no data.

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 5 April; fall departure largely complete by 15 August.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 2002–2011 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).  The Cliff Swallow is famous for the gourd-shaped nests that it constructs out of a mixture of mud and saliva.  Many colonies exist along the Cumberland River and most of its tributaries.

Habitat: x

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 Cliff Swallow is the earliest breeding swallow in the Region to muster, usually forming aggregations preparatory to southward migration by mid-July; it is also the earliest to depart en masse, usually vacating the mustering areas by early August; however, stragglers are present into late September during most years.

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