 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-5.53 (-7.28 - -4.01)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
It is a delight to look over the top of a riverbank to see a flock of Bank Swallows emerge from a previously unsuspected colony immediately below. The Bank Swallow is found across North America from Alaska to southern Labrador south to the central and southwest US and northern Mexico, wherever suitable banks provide nesting opportunities. North American birds winter primarily in South America.
As its name suggests, the Bank Swallow nests in banks. Before the arrival of Europeans these were restricted to cutbanks created by natural erosion along watercourses. Today nesting occurs in gravel pits, road and railroad cuts, gravel piles, and rarely in excavations for basements. Fall staging birds seek out reed beds for roosting.
Bank Swallows are found throughout Saskatchewan north to Lake Athabasca and Brabant Lake (Smith 1996). Because gravel pits and other human excavations have allowed the Bank Swallow to nest where there were no suitable natural banks, the population undoubtedly increased after European settlement (Erskine 1979). Colonies in Saskatchewan generally contain 10-30 pairs. However, colonies of more than 100 active burrows have been recorded in both natural and artificial locations.
Original text by Dale George Hjertaas. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Bank Swallow in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Bank Swallow in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=BANS&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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