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The Northern Rough-winged Swallow, historically mostly a western species, expanded its range into eastern Canada during the 1900s. However, widespread range retractions and population declines have occurred recently. The Breeding Bird Survey indicates a large decrease in the population since 1970. Causes for the decline are unclear. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
In the 1980s, there was a negative change point in the Breeding Bird Survey population trends of swallows, swifts, and nightjars across most of North America (Smith et al. 2015). Indeed, the Northern Rough-winged Swallow is one of several species of aerial-foraging insectivores showing widespread declines in Canada. Causes of these declines remain unclear, but changes in aerial insect populations have been suggested as one possible common factor as well as landscape changes, insecticides, and climate change (Blancher et al. 2009, Nebel et al. 2010). The Northern Rough-winged Swallow nests in natural holes in trees and abandoned burrows in banks, but has also adapted to using human structures such as pipes and walls (DeJong 1996). This species does not excavate its own burrow, so reduced nest-site availability may also be a limiting factor (DeJong 1996).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.