Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)

Northern Rough-winged Swallow [dorsal view of adult]. Photograph Credit: Carol D. Williams; Homestead, Cumberland County, Tennessee; 29 April 2006.

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Abundance: Fairly Common during spring, summer, and fall; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); the Regional population is probably stable (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Summer Resident; specimen (15 June 1938; Rocky Branch, Wayne County, Kentucky; W. M. Perrygo; Wetmore 1940); photograph (see above).

Regional High Count and FBC/FBB High Count: 256 (30 September 2006; Macon County, Tennessee [FBB]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 116 (9 May 2009; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Spring: x (

    Late Fall: x (

    Note: Spring arrival usually widespread by 31 March; fall departure largely complete by 15 October.  Regional dates of earliest reported spring arrival and latest reported fall departure for the years 2002–2011 follow:

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent).  A cavity nester famous for adopting a wide variety of crannies in both natural and man-made substrate for nesting sites, the Rough-wing is likely to stick its nest into any old hole it can find.  It even accepts crannies that travel a fairly low rates of speed, as was the case with a pair that nested in a cranny located on a ferry boat, traveling along with the ferry while continuing to feed young.

Habitat: x

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 7 (of 125 possible) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 15 (of 206 possible) check-lists during 2004, resulting in YardWatch frequency classifications of Very Uncommon and Uncommon, respectively; these YardWatch frequency classifications are rather inconsistent with the overall Regional abundance classification, indicating the lesser likelihood of encountering this swallow in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region as a whole.

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: Until a Fall BirdBlitz was conducted in Macon County, Tennessee, 30 September 2006, the autumn mustering of this swallow remained somewhat enigmatic, but during that event a fairly high count of Rough-wings was obtained, revealing a mustering, or perhaps a migratory, event by this species and filling in one of the many blank spots in the matrix representing the Regional birdlife.  Some fairly high counts of autumn Rough-wings have been made, primarily in the Kentucky portion of the Region, since that time.

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