Size: About that of a quail.
Distribution: Winter visitor to the entire Subcontinent including the islands.
Identification: Look for a dark blue neck, pale, unstreaked belly and a deeply forked tail. Similar species, the Hill Swallow (Hirundo domicola) of the Western Ghats, and the House Swallow (Hirundo tahitica) in the Andaman and Nicobar have relatively greyer bellies and more shallowly forked tails. Can be seen roosting on telegraph wires when they arrive. Often found hawking insects over water bodies.