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Glite Dictionary
Hirundo rustica

Hirundo rustica

8.8
A small bird with a long forked tail that builds mud nests on buildings
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Hirundo rustica
  • The Hirundo rustica is known for its distinctive forked tail.

Examples

  • The Hirundo rustica migrates thousands of miles between continents every year.

  • Researchers observed that Hirundo rustica prefers to build its nests in human structures like barns.

  • Many bird enthusiasts travel to wetlands to study the behavior of Hirundo rustica.

  • Many Hirundo rustica migrate to warmer regions during winter.

  • Many bird enthusiasts travel to wetlands to study the behavior of Hirundo rustica.

  • Researchers observed that Hirundo rustica prefers to build its nests in human structures like barns.

  • The Hirundo rustica migrates thousands of miles between continents every year.

Synonyms

barn swallow
vsHirundo rustica
1 3.7

A small bird with a long forked tail that builds nests in barns and on farms

is the formal scientific name used by researchers for the species

Surface Forms

Hirundo rustica singular
Hirundo rusticus plural

Morphology

Hirundo + rustica

The name is a Latin binomial: 'Hirundo' identifies the genus (swallows) and 'rustica' (from Latin meaning rustic/rural) points to a specific epithet, so a learner who knows both parts can infer this refers to a type of swallow. However, recognizing it as the specific species 'barn swallow' and understanding the taxonomic convention requires domain knowledge; the exact common-name mapping is not fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Hirundo rustica comes from Latin words that describe the bird. Hirundo means 'swallow' and rustica means 'from the countryside' or 'barn', so the name creates the picture of a small bird that lives in barns and explains why it is the scientific name for the 'barn swallow'.