Birds
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica · Rândunică
The familiar swallow of villages and farms, with long tail streamers.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Summer visitor
- Habitat
- Urban / Meadow
- Activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Diet
- Almost entirely flying insects caught on the wing; also spiders and other arthropods.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
Photography Guide
Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.
- Where and how to look
- Farms, villages and meadows near water.
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Starting shutter speed
- 1/2500 sec or faster for birds in flight.
- Ethics
- Keep well back from colonies and nests on buildings or banks; never block flight paths to the nest.
Identification
Glossy blue-black above, red throat and forehead, pale underparts and long outer tail feathers.
Habitat
Rural settlements in open country with a mosaic of farmland, pastures and meadows used for feeding; often nests inside buildings.
Distribution
Breeds widely, from the Danube Delta and floodplain up to the submontane zone.
Approximate range in Romania
Diet
Almost entirely flying insects caught on the wing; also spiders and other arthropods.
Behaviour
Returning birds reoccupy territories and nests from previous years.
Seasonality in Romania
Breeds in Romania and is migratory. Usually arrives from late March and leaves for the wintering grounds in late September–early October.
- JanUnknown
- FebUnknown
- MarUnknown
- AprPresent
- MayPresent
- JunPresent
- JulPresent
- AugPresent
- SepPresent
- OctUnknown
- NovUnknown
- DecUnknown
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. * Event timing retained from the earlier entry, not yet source-verified.
Breeding
Breeding begins in April.