Wildlifeof Malaysia
Pacific Swallow
Swallows & Martins
Photo: Mike Gordon — wildlifeofeverywhere.com
Hirundo javanica
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, especially flies, caught in the air
Habitat
Coasts, increasingly forested uplands; neat cup-shaped mud nest under a cliff ledge or on buildings, bridges or tunnels
Range
Tropical southern Asia and the islands of the south Pacific
Clutch size
2–3 eggs
Size
13cm
The Pacific swallow is a small swallow 13 cm long that breeds in tropical southern Asia and the islands of the south Pacific. It has a blue-black back and crown with browner wings and tail, a red face and throat and dusky underparts, and differs from the barn swallow and the closely related welcome swallow in its shorter, less forked tail. It is resident apart from some local seasonal movements, associated with coasts but increasingly spreading to forested uplands (Wikipedia, general species account).
It builds a neat cup-shaped nest of mud pellets collected in the beak, lined with softer material, under a cliff ledge or on a building, bridge or tunnel, and lays two or three eggs. A fast flyer, it feeds on insects, especially flies, while airborne (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Pacific Swallow eat?
- Insects, especially flies, caught in the air
- What habitat does the Pacific Swallow live in?
- Coasts, increasingly forested uplands; neat cup-shaped mud nest under a cliff ledge or on buildings, bridges or tunnels
- Where is the Pacific Swallow found?
- Tropical southern Asia and the islands of the south Pacific
- How many eggs does the Pacific Swallow lay?
- 2–3 eggs
- How big is the Pacific Swallow?
- 13cm