Welcome Swallow, Warou
Hirundo neoxenaBird Songs
Welcome SwallowInformation
New Zealand status: Native
Conservation status: Not Threatened
Welcome Swallows/warou are small fast-flying birds who arrived here from Australia.
They are small, elegant birds with blunt heads, a deeply-forked tail and long pointed wings. Adults have reddish-brown feathers on the forehead, neck and breast, with paler colouring on the flanks. The bill is short, broad and black, and they have a black eye stripe. The back and upperwings are blue-black. The tail is dark with white spots towards the ends of the feathers that form a row of dots when the tail is spread in flight. Juveniles are also similar but have darker heads and an overall duller colouring.
Calls are fantail-like twittering and chattering but do not carry far.
