Swallows Legend
The miracle of the “Swallows” of Capistrano takes place each year at Mission San Juan Capistrano, on March 19th, St. Joseph’s Day. Swallows migrate 6,000 miles from Goya, Argentina to San Juan Capistrano in large groups. The town of San Juan Capistrano welcomes visitors from all parts of the world to witness the return of the swallows, a tradition that has been celebrated since the early 1930s.
The Legend of the Cliff Swallows of Capistrano
In his book, Capistrano Nights, Father St. John O’Sullivan, Pastor of Mission San Juan Capistrano (1910-1933) tells the story of how the swallowscame to call the Mission home.
One day, while walking through town, Father O’Sullivan saw a shopkeeper, broomstick in hand, knocking down the conically shaped mud swallow nests that were under the eaves of his shop. The birds were darting back and forth through the air squealingover the destruction of their homes.
“What in the world are you doing?” O’Sullivan asked.
“Why, these dirty birds are a nuisance and I am getting rid of them!” the shopkeeper responded.
“But where can they go?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” he replied, slashing away with his pole. “But they’ve no business here, destroying my property.”
Father O’Sullivan then said, “Come on swallows, I’ll give you shelter. Come to the Mission. There’s room enough there for all.”
The very next morning, Father O’Sullivan discovered the swallows busy building their nests outsideFather Junípero Serra’s Church.
Join us for St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows Celebration annually on March 19th!
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY OF THE SWALLOWS STORY
We are celebrating the Return of the Swallows. They are finally back nesting at Mission San Juan Capistrano! Learn about the efforts to lure the birds back.
Before urbanization, Mission San Juan Capistrano was the main and largest building in the community, which is why the swallows continued to return every March. The development of the community, and the stabilization of the Ruins of the Great Stone Church, where the swallows nests were removed by preservationists, created alternative locations for the swallows to build their nests apart from the Mission. As a result, the number of swallows returning to the Mission each year began to decline.
In 2010, in response to concerns about when the birds arrive and where they choose to nest, we sought the help of cliff swallows expert Dr. Charles R. Brown, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Tulsa, who has studied more than 200,000 cliff swallows over the years. Dr. Brown was invited to present a lecture during the St. Joseph’s Day & Return of the Swallows Celebration (his lecture has become an annual tradition). Shortly after, in collaboration with Dr. Brown and Executive staff at the Mission, we began an experiment on the Mission grounds in an effort to lure the birds back to nest.

Actual Cliff Swallow
Phase I: Vocalization Project
In 2012, Phase I: The Vocalization Project was launched, in which recorded courtship calls were played through a speaker on Mission grounds to lure the cliff swallows that were flying overhead. According to Dr. Brown, evidence suggests the vocalization playbacks bring in passing cliff swallows that fly over the site.
Visit the Swallows Reenactment Exhibit to learn how Mission San Juan Capistrano is working with Dr. Charles Brown to lure the swallows back to nest in abundance.
Coverage Stills
Phase II: Nest Reenactment Project:
In 2015, again collaborating with Dr. Charles Brown, Phase II: The Nest Reenactment Project was launched, which necessitated the construction of a replica wall of man-made nests in a colony-like setting similar to one that existed on the Ruins of the Great Stone Church prior to its 1990s stabilization. Research shows that cliff swallows prefer to re-use existing nests.
Today, the Swallows are back!
They have finally returned to nest here at Mission San Juan Capistrano!
Summer 2017
Press Release Archives:
- March 11, 2010
What’s Happening With Mission San Juan Capistrano’s Famous Cliff Swallows
St. Joseph’s Day & The Return of the Swallows Celebration - March 7, 2011
St. Joseph’s Day and The Return of the Swallows Celebration - March 21, 2011
Swallows Perform Mission Flyover - February 15, 2012
St. Joseph’s Day & The Return of the Swallows Celebration - March 22, 2012
Mission Celebrates St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows - May 24, 2012
Dr. Brown was Right: More Swallows Seen at Mission - February 19, 2013
Swallows, and St. Joseph’s Day, Fast Approaching - March 4, 2013
St. Joseph’s Day and the Return of the Swallows Celebration - March 22, 2013
St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows Celebration a Success - June 01, 2013
Monsignor Holquin Spots Swallows at Mission - January 23, 2014
Successful Swallows Vocalization Project Resumes - March 05, 2014
St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows Celebration March 19 - March 4, 2015
St. Joseph’s Day & Return of the Swallows Celebration on March 19 - March 17, 2015
Mission San Juan Capistrano to Unveil Phase II of Swallows Project - February 26, 2016
St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows Celebration to Include Free Concert, New Efforts to Lure Swallows - March 14, 2016
Mission San Juan Capistrano to Unveil Phase II in Efforts to Bring Swallows Back to Mission - March 9, 2017
Mission San Juan Capistrano to Host Annual St. Joseph’s Day and Return of the Swallows - February 13, 2018
Mission San Juan Capistrano Announces St. Joseph’s Day and the Return of the Swallows Celebration on March 19