We soon discovered that the most common swallow in the area was this Pacific swallow. It is easy to confuse it with the Barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), but the underside is darker, the extended outer tail feathers are much shorter and it lacks the black band between the throat and breast. The barn swallow is almost global, but the shore swallow also has a large distribution area, from southern India to Tonga. It is also increasing in numbers.