page_title: Northern rough-winged swallow
section_title: Description
hierarchical_section_title: Northern rough-winged swallow / Description
caption_attribution_description: English: Northern rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) above the Mississippi on Pike Island in St. Paul Minnesota
context_page_description: The northern rough-winged swallow is a small, migratory swallow. It is very similar to the southern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx ruficollis.
context_section_description: Adults are 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) in length, brown above with white underparts, a small bill, and a forked tail. Their throat is a white with a brownish-grey wash, and below the throat are its white underparts. The adults have a wingspan of 27–30 cm (11–12 in) and a weight of 10–18 g (0.35–0.63 oz). The males' under tail coverts are longer and broader than that of the females. The males also have hooked barbs on the outer web of their outer primary wings. The barbs on the females are shorter and straighter than that of the males. Juveniles can be distinguished from adults by their reddish-brown wing-bars.
  They are similar in appearance to the bank swallow, but have a dusky throat and breast. They are closely related and very similar to the southern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx ruficollis, but that species has a more contrasting rump, and the ranges do not quite overlap.
caption: Northern Rough-Winged Swallow showing its breast and underparts
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