bank swallow
noun
a swallow, Riparia riparia, of the Northern Hemisphere, that nests in tunnels dug in sand or clay banks.
Origin of bank swallow
1First 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. ChapmanWith the general appearance of the bank swallow, but slightly larger, grayer below, and with no breast-band.
What Bird is That? | Frank M. ChapmanBut the holes were too small, and no bird but a bank-swallow would have attempted such a thing.
Ways of Wood Folk | William J. LongThe 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
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