Welcome Swallow
Photo: JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) · CC BY-SA 3.0

Swallows

Welcome Swallow

Hirundo neoxena

LCLeast Concern
Family
Swallows (Hirundinidae)
Order
Passeriformes

Overview

The welcome swallow (Hirundo neoxena) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae that is native to Australia and nearby islands. It has self-introduced into New Zealand in the middle of the twentieth century. It is very similar to the Pacific swallow with which it is often considered conspecific.
This species breeds in southern and eastern Australia in a variety of habitats, mostly in open areas, man-made clearings or urban environments, but not desert or dense forest.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.