A migratory and breeding species for Cyprus and the Akamas peninsula. It arrives in spring (March – April) and departs in autumn (September – October). It’s seen in groups during migration, and mainly in pairs at the breeding sites.

It’s typically seen flying and chasing insects, often mixed with other swallow species. It breeds mostly in semi-mountainous and mountainous areas, on steep rocks, buildings, ruins and under bridges. The nest is characteristic, closed with the top as the roof, an egg-shaped main room and an elongated tunneled entrance.

Its size is like the Barn Swallow’s, with also a long-forked tail. Its upperparts color is dark bluish-black (without the gloss), the underparts beige with faint short stripes. It has a characteristic reddish-brown area around the eye in a half-circle shape that reaches the neck and forehead, a brownish-cream rump, which is visible when it’s flying. When in flight, the underparts show a diagnostic contrast between the pale body and the black tail.