Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Overview
Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Small, stocky swallow, brown upperparts, paler underparts, pale brown throat. Tail is squared with white undertail coverts. Named for tiny hooks found on outer primary feathers. Swift, graceful flight, alternates several slow, deep wing beats with short or long glides.

Range and Habitat
Northern Rough-winged Swallow: Breeds from southeastern Alaska and southern Canada southward throughout the U.S. Spends winters north to southern California, the Gulf Coast, and southern Florida.

The Northern Rough-winged Swallow has a large range, encompassing much of North and Central America and nearby island nations. This bird prefers forest and wetland ecosystems as well as rocky areas and arable land. The global population of this bird is not exactly known as it was only recently recognized by the IUCN, but does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is Least Concern.

INTERESTING FACTS
The Greek genus name, Stelgidopteryx, means "scraper wing;" the Latin species name, serripennis, means "saw feather." A pair of birds was documented nesting in a Civil War Cannon. John James Audubon discovered the Northern Rough-winged Swallow in Louisiana in 1819. He shot five birds and only after seeing they were unfamiliar, collected them for further study. A group of swallows has many collective nouns, including a "gulp", "herd", "kettle", "richness", and "sord" of swallows.