Barn Swallow banking
Hirundo rustica
Barn Swallow · Prospect Park · 23 May 2026
A Barn Swallow banking over Prospect Park Lake in May, wings fully spread mid-turn. Barn Swallows hawk insects over the lake all summer and nest under the boathouse eaves, as they nest under something built by people almost everywhere in the world.
The turn shows the row of white spots across the tail feathers, a mark seen mainly from below and in flight. Barn Swallows drink and even bathe on the wing, dipping to skim the surface without landing. The forked tail is the steering: the longer the outer feathers, the tighter the turn, and the males with the longest ones get the females.
Birds, insects, plants and other wildlife, mostly from Brooklyn, with some from further afield.
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