Nest Attendance and Feeding Visits by Northern Rough-winged Swallows in a Maritime Environment on Outer Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Douglas B. McNair*

*35 Rowell Road, Wellfleet, MA 02667.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 3 (2026): 380–394

First published early online: 10 September 2026

Abstract
I inferred the incubation rhythm, time on nest during the nestling period, and frequency and duration of nestling feeding visits by comparing 2 daytime groups (morning, evening) of Stelgidopteryx serripennis (Northern Rough-winged Swallow) that were sampled at 1 nest site in 2020 in the maritime environment of outer Cape Cod, MA. I supplemented this single sample by less systematic observations at multiple nest sites in 2019. My results which did not rely on direct confirmation of breeding status nonetheless generally agreed with the only study with direct confirmation of breeding status conducted in southeastern Michigan in 1962. Major results concern the percent of constancy and duration of attentive and inattentive periods during incubation, time on nest when most brooding takes place early in the development of young, and the frequency and duration of nestling feeding trips as the young age. My study also provided clarification on how several of these parameters may vary with respect to the 2 daytime groups that were sampled in 2020. The reliability of inferring different behaviors and breeding habits of Northern Rough-winged Swallows from observational data without direct confirmation of breeding status during the inferred incubation and nestling periods need to be confirmed by additional samples. Nonetheless, this study contributes to our understanding of the natural history of this understudied species.

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