Welcome Swallow

Māori name: Warou

Scientific name: Hirundo neoxena

Not Threatened

The welcome swallow is a graceful, acrobatic bird that self-colonised New Zealand from Australia in the 1950s. With its rusty-red throat, steel-blue back, and deeply forked tail, it is a charming and agile flier — often seen swooping low over the Pāuanui estuary and beach, catching insects in flight. It builds a mud cup nest under bridges, eaves, and overhangs.

Did you know?

Welcome swallows can catch and eat insects entirely in flight, drinking by skimming the surface of water without landing. A single bird may catch hundreds of insects per day.

Threats

Nest predation by rats and mice is the primary threat. Loss of muddy nesting substrates and insect abundance due to land use change also affects populations.

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