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Cliff Swallow; Eave Swallow
Adult--Upper parts dark steel blue; forehead nearly white; tail short and scarcely pointed; throat chestnut; breast gray shading into white on the belly; a blue-gray patch on upper part of breast; rump pale rufous or chestnut. Length--6.01.
Breeding Range--Throughout North America, north of Florida, breeding locally.
The nest is built of pellets of mud, with sometimes small bits of straw and grass; the lining is of grass and feathers; it is a queer-shaped nest, in the form of a retort, with the neck more or less formed, and is fastened beneath the eaves, or on the rafters of a building; in remote districts it is attached to cliffs or embankments, the birds nesting in colonies. 4 or 5 eggs are laid; they are white, with dots and spots of reddish brown. Size--.82 x .56.
These birds somewhat resemble the barn swallows; the light chestnut rump and the shortness of the tail serve to distinguish them. The eggs of these two species are often identical.
The nesting season begins towards the end of May.