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

See Examples For:

cliff swallow

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

From Washington Times ● Mar. 19, 2016

Take the cliff swallow, for instance; it has largely left the cliffs for the eaves of our buildings.

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)

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

But those of our swallows that correspond to the British species, the barn swallow, the cliff swallow, and the bank swallow, subsist upon very small insects.

From The Writings of John Burroughs — Volume 05: Pepacton by Burroughs, John