Description:

Medium sized, distinctive plumage pattern and long tail-streamers. Adult has bright red forehead and throat, blue-black breast-band and upperparts, and long tail-streamers. Underparts vary from white to rufous. Immature has duller orange forehead and throat, breast-band is browner and less well defined.

Distribution:

Common summer visitor to western Gilgit-Baltistan, mainly Ghizer, Gilgit, Diamer, Hunza and Nagar. Found in open country, reedbeds, cultivations and human habitations, usually not far from water. From lowlands up to 2500m.

Behavior:

Flight straight and rapid, with frequent sharp turns to catch prey; infrequent, short glides. Sometimes take prey from ground, vegetation, water or other surfaces, while either perching or hovering, especially in adverse weather. Diet varies within and between years and sites, depending on local availability of insects.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Barn Swallow in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Barn Swallow

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.