cliff swallow

American  

noun

1. any of several North American birds of the genus Hirundo, especially H. pyrrhonota, that live colonially and build bottle-shaped mud nests on cliffs and walls.

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cliff swallow British  

noun

1. an American swallow, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, that has a square-tipped tail and builds nests of mud on cliffs, walls, etc

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Etymology

Origin of cliff swallow

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

Four birds have been elusive: the hairy woodpecker, bank swallow, cliff swallow and northern rough-winged swallow.

From Washington Times • Mar. 19, 2016

The cliff swallow seems less a child of the sky and sun, probably because its sheen and glow are less, and its shape and motions less arrowy.

From Under the Maples by Burroughs, John

The phœbe-bird and the cliff swallow are marked examples.

From Ways of Nature by Burroughs, John

I'm happy as a cliff swallow on my little shelf.

From The Blue Ghost Mystery by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

While some eat them only sparingly others eat them freely, and no fewer than forty-seven adult weevils have been found in the stomach of a single cliff swallow.

From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple