bank swallow

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bank swallow¹

First recorded in 1645–55

Example Sentences

The estuary — gated and degraded by decades of dairy farming — is home to at least 38 fish species, as well as red-legged frogs, bank swallows and waterfowl.

From Los Angeles Times

Four birds have been elusive: the hairy woodpecker, bank swallow, cliff swallow and northern rough-winged swallow.

From Washington Times

The tree swallows and the bank swallows are pleasing, but they are much more local and restricted in their ranges than the barn-frequenters.

From Project Gutenberg

On the same day a bank swallow was feeding her little ones, a half dozen or so, which were ranged on a willow stem at the margin of the river.

From Project Gutenberg

Only a flight of bank swallows, disturbed by the footfalls of his horse, darted noisily from their nests under the south bridge abutment and scattered twenty ways in the sunshine.

From Project Gutenberg