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Bank Swallow
Adult--Upper parts and band on breast grayish brown; under parts white. Length--5.20.
Breeding Range--Throughout North America.
The nest is composed of small twigs, grass, and feathers, placed in a hole made in the face of a bank, usually near water, the banks of a river being most suitable. The eggs are white, the number being usually 4 or 5, sometimes as many as 7. Size--.68 x .50.
The Bank Swallows generally breed in large colonies, occupying the entire face of a bank, which they honeycomb with their nesting holes; these excavations are usually about twenty inches deep, but some are as much as four feet from the surface.
These birds are rather smaller than the rough-winged swallow, and may be distinguished by the grayish band across the breast. The breeding season begins about the middle of May, two broods being reared.