Barn Swallow vs Northern Gannet
Hirundo rustica compared with Morus bassanus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Barn Swallow | Northern Gannet |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Hirundo rustica | Morus bassanus |
| Order | Passeriformes | Suliformes |
| Family | Hirundinidae | Sulidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 19.0 cm (7.5 in) | 93.0 cm (36.6 in) |
| Wingspan | 33.0 cm (13.0 in) | 180.0 cm (70.9 in) |
| Weight | 19.0 g (0.67 oz) | 3000.0 g (105.82 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insects caught in continuous agile flight, including flies, beetles, moths, and aphids. Drinks by … | Shoaling fish, especially mackerel, herring, and capelin. Plunge-dives from heights of 30 meters at speeds … |
| Clutch Size | 2-7 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Barn Swallow
Open farmland, meadows, and areas near water. Nests almost exclusively in human-made structures such as barns, bridges, and eaves.
Northern Gannet
Open ocean and coastal waters. Breeds in dense colonies on steep rocky islands and sea stacks.
Song & Call Comparison
Barn Swallow
A rapid, twittering song: a long stream of 'vit-vit-vit' and rolling chirps. Also gives a sharp 'vit' flight call. Song can last many minutes without pause. Musical and liquid.
Northern Gannet
Loud, harsh 'urrah-urrah' grunting and croaking at breeding colonies on sea stacks. Also gives a softer 'karrr' in flight. Large colonies are extremely noisy during the breeding season.
Geographic Range & Migration
Barn Swallow
Breeds across the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia. Winters in South America, Africa, and South Asia.
Northern Gannet
North Atlantic, breeding from Newfoundland and Gulf of St. Lawrence to Norway, Iceland, and Britain. Winters at sea south to the tropics.
Conservation Status
Barn Swallow
Northern Gannet
How to Tell Them Apart
Barn Swallow
Metallic blue-black upperparts, rufous forehead and throat, and pale buff to rufous underparts. Deeply forked tail with elongated outer streamers.
Short, wide, flat black bill adapted for catching insects in flight
Northern Gannet
Brilliant white body with black wingtips and a golden-yellow wash on the head and nape. Blue-grey bill with dark lines and pale blue eye-ring.
Long, straight, pointed, pale blue-grey bill with serrated edges
About These Birds
Barn Swallow
The barn swallow is the most widespread swallow species in the world and has one of the longest migrations of any passerine. Its arrival signals spring across the Northern Hemisphere, inspiring cultural references from ancient Greece to modern poetry. Barn swallows have become almost entirely dependent on human structures for nesting.
Northern Gannet
The northern gannet is a spectacular plunge-diver, folding its two-meter wingspan into an arrow shape to hit the water at up to 100 km/h. Air sacs under the skin and a reinforced skull protect it from the impact. Bass Rock in Scotland hosts over 150,000 gannets, the largest single colony of any seabird in the world.