# Cave Swallow

Scientific name: Petrochelidon fulva

Bird group: [swallow](https://birdsofpuertorico.com/family/swallow)

Canonical source: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/bird/230/Cave-Swallow

## Identification

The cave swallow (Petrochelidon fulva) is a medium-sized, squarish tailed swallow belonging to the same genus as the more familiar and widespread cliff swallow of North America. The cave swallow, also native to the Americas, nests and roosts primarily in caves and sinkholes.
The cave swallow measures 12 to 14 cm in length and weighs 19 g on average. The largest of the five subspecies, P. f. pallida, has an average wing length between 107.0 and 112.3 mm; the smallest subspecies, P. f. aequatorialis, has an average wing length between 93.0 and 93.5 mm. Differences between the sexes are minimal, both are similar in size and weight and are difficult to distinguish from their plumage. It has grey-blue upperparts and brown-tangerine forefront and throat.


## Distribution and habitat

The Cave Swallow occurs in the South-central United States, 
Mexico, and the West Indies 
including Puerto Rico, where 
it is a common permanent 
resident (Raffaele 1989a, Raffaele 
and others 1998) and a fairly 
common passage migrant 
in Vieques (Gemmill 2015). 
The Cave Swallow occurs in 
open country, farms, beaches, 
mangroves, marshes, and 
towns (Oberle 2018). The atlas 
fieldwork yielded a total of 449 
records within 256 hexagons 
or 53 percent of the 479 total 
hexagons (see map). Of the 256 hexagons where this species was 
found, breeding met the atlas 
definition of confirmed in 42 
percent (108) of the hexagons, 
probable in 4 percent (10), and 
possible in 39 percent (100), 
while the species was observed 
in 15 percent (38) of the 
hexagons but without evidence 
of breeding (see map). Cave Swallow distribution. The map shows the highest breeding code by hexagon and overlaying the ecological life zones in 
Puerto Rico. Note: percentages may not total 100 due to rounding. 

## Breeding

The Cave Swallow breeds in colonies, by building a mud 
nest in a cave mouth, on a 
building, or under a bridge 
or ledge from March to July,       221Cave Swallow/Golondrina de Cuevasaccording to previously published reports (Oberle 2018, 
Raffaele and others 1998). Atlas 
results indicate that breeding 
activity for this species extends 
throughout the year and peaks 
in June (see chart). Results 
indicate that the Cave Swallow 
breeds in all ecological life 
zones, but most of the breeding 
activity was reported within the 
subtropical moist forest life zone 
(73 percent of the hexagons) 
(see table and map). Because the swallow commonly breeds 
under bridges, its “confirmed” 
breeding distribution appears 
to follow major highways on 
the island where bridges are 
common and nests are easy to 
find (e.g., highway from San Juan 
to Caguas, Cayey, and Ponce) 
(see map).

## Conservation

The overall current population trend of the Cave Swallow is 
increasing, and it is listed as a species of least concern by the 
IUCN (BirdLife International 
2019). Locally, this species is not 
listed in any of the threatened 
categories of PRDNER or USFWS. 
In Puerto Rico, the Cave Swallow 
has a protected habitat in land 
of 13 percent or 695 km2 of the total area covered by the 
hexagons where evidence of 
breeding was found for this 
species (~5212 km2).

Photo: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_230_Im0.png.webp

Distribution map: https://birdsofpuertorico.com/static/images/webp/in_230_Im1.png.webp

Source note: Text is reproduced from this site's published record. Historical conservation statements and taxonomy have not been independently revalidated. See https://birdsofpuertorico.com/about for source credits and limitations.