Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
- Class
- Bird
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 17,548
- Most observed in
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is native to Australia and nearby islands. It has self-introduced into New Zealand in the middle of the twentieth century. It is very similar to the Pacific swallow with which it is often considered conspecific. This species breeds in southern and eastern Australia in a variety of habitats, mostly in open areas, man-made clearings or urban environments, but not desert or dense forest. Eastern populations are largely migratory, wintering in northern Australia. Western birds and those in New Zealand are mainly sedentary.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Welcome swallow”.