• East view from Crissy Field overlook with old Coast Guard station on left and city on right

    Presidio of San Francisco

    California

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    The Presidio Coastal Trail segment just north of the Pacific Overlook and adjacent to Lincoln Blvd remains CLOSED indefinitely. We have posted signage to alert bicyclists and hikers and with information for safe trail alternatives. More »

Barn Swallow

(Hirundo rustica)
 
Barn swallow
Barn swallow on the Main Post.
Will Elder, NPS
 

Natural History: The Barn Swallow's diet primarily consists of insects, but it will occasionally eat berries and seeds. It prefers open country, especially near water. It plasters its mud pellet nests on ledges and walls of buildings or in cliff crevices, often in small colonies.

General Distribution: In the Presidio, this species can be found in all relatively open areas. It breeds within the Presidio.

Frequency: This species is abundant in the summer, spring, and fall.

Identifying Characteristics: This species has a reddish brown throat and a buff to cinnamon underside, separated by a dark, incomplete neck band. The tail is deeply forked.

Presidio Birds main page

Did You Know?

U.S. Army major rank insignia

In 1915, a tragic fire at the Presidio  claimed the lives of General Pershing’s wife and his three daughters.  Pershing's son, Francis Warren, survived the blaze and chose to enlist in the army as a private during World War II.  By the end of the war he had achieved the rank of major.