American cliff swallow feeds

The American cliff swallow feeds entirely on insects caught in flight. The bird chases after flying ants, wasps, grasshoppers, dragonflies, mosquitoes and beetles, including the destructive cotton-boll weevils; the swallow’s menu includes 84 insect families from 10 orders. The bird holds its tiny, gaping mouth as wide as it can to scoop up hundreds of insects as it darts along. Foraging in large groups of up to 2,000 birds, the cliff swallow searches for swarms of insects.

The birds tend to focus on areas of relatively high altitudes; however, in cool and cloudy weather the cliff swallows feed just above the ground or water surface due to lack of visibility and decreased availability of swarming insects. In this damp and dreary climate, the bird tends to forage alone. Groups always tend to follow each other; if one is feeding on a big swarm, another will follow to scout out the area. This holds true for solitary feeding birds as well. American cliff swallows never have a problem sharing their food sources.