bank swallow


noun
  1. a swallow, Riparia riparia, of the Northern Hemisphere, that nests in tunnels dug in sand or clay banks.

Origin of bank swallow

1
First recorded in 1645–55

Words Nearby bank swallow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bank swallow in a sentence

  • Where river or road has left a bank, its face may be dotted with the entrances to the bank swallow's dwellings.

    What Bird is That? | Frank M. Chapman
  • With the general appearance of the bank swallow, but slightly larger, grayer below, and with no breast-band.

    What Bird is That? | Frank M. Chapman
  • But the holes were too small, and no bird but a bank-swallow would have attempted such a thing.

    Ways of Wood Folk | William J. Long
  • The bank swallow and chimney swift are smaller and less conspicuous than the martin, less noisy but quite as useful.

  • The bank-swallow is the inventor of this form of tunnel construction.

    Inventors at Work | George Iles