barn swallow

noun

Meaning

A small, migratory songbird with a deeply forked tail, iridescent blue-black upperparts, and a cinnamon-colored throat.

Examples

  • The barn swallow returned to the same rafters in the shed every spring to raise its chicks.
  • Farmers often welcome the barn swallow because it consumes vast quantities of flies and mosquitoes.

Synonyms: swallow, songbird, passerine, hirundinid