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Doug J | all galleries >> Birds, Birds, Birds >> Passeriformes Gallery > Pacific Swallow
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Pacific Swallow

Scientific name: Hirundo tahitica
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Hirundinidae

The Pacific Swallow is a small passerine bird in the swallow family. It breeds in tropical southern Asia from southern India and Sri Lanka across to south east Asia and the islands of the south Pacific. It is resident apart from some local seasonal movements. This bird is associated with coasts, but is increasingly spreading to forested uplands.

The Pacific Swallow builds a neat cup-shaped nest, constructed with mud pellets collected in the beak, under a cliff ledge or on man-made structures such as a building, bridge or tunnel. The nest is lined with softer material, and the clutch is two to three eggs, up to four in Sri Lanka. It is similar in behaviour to other aerial insectivores, such as other swallows and the unrelated swifts. It is a fast flyer and feeds on insects, especially flies, while airborne.

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