What color is a swallow's beak?

The color of a swallow's beak varies with species and ages, but usually presents the following colors:

1. Common swallow's beak color

• Adult swallows (such as house swallows and golden-rumped swallows): The beak is generally black or dark brown, and some individuals may be slightly gray.

• Juvenile swallows: The beak is usually light yellow or light orange, with more obvious corners, which is helpful for parents to identify young birds and feed them.

2. Changes in the color of a swallow's beak

The color of a swallow's beak changes as it ages:

• The beak of a newly hatched swallow is bright yellow or light orange, which makes it more conspicuous when the parent bird feeds.

• As it grows, the color of the beak gradually darkens, and eventually turns to dark brown or black in the adult stage.

3. The beak color of different swallow species

The beak color of different swallow species is slightly different:

• Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): The beak of adult swallows is black or dark brown, and the beak of young birds is light yellow.

• Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis daurica): The beak is black with slightly lighter corners.

• White-rumped Swift (Apus pacificus): The bill is black, but the base of the bill is thicker.

Summary

The bill of a swallow is usually black or dark brown, while the bill of a young bird is light yellow or orange to attract parents to feed it. As it grows, the color of the bill gradually darkens, eventually becoming the typical dark bill of an adult swallow.

animal tags： swallow