Wood swallow is the name of a group of birds from Southeast Asia and Australia. Like the true swallows, they have strong, well-developed wings and feed mainly in flight. They eat insects, which they catch in their broad bills. However, they perch more than swallows, and some species also feed on nectar, which they lap up with the brushlike tip of their tongues.
Wood swallows vary in length from about 4 3/4 to 9 inches (12 to 23 centimeters). They generally build their flimsy nests in loose colonies, from 10 feet (3 meters) or more apart. The Australian white-browed wood swallows and the masked wood swallows travel in mixed flocks and breed at different sites each year.
