Swallowtail (flag)

Swallowtail flag shape

A barn swallow in flight. Note the shape of its tail

In flag terminology, a swallowtail is either

1. a V-shaped cut in a flag that causes the flag to end in two points at the fly; or
2. any flag that has this V-shaped cut.

The name comes from the forked tail that is a common feature of the swallow species of birds.

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  Alfa flag (nautical signal flag for "A")
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  Naval ensign of Poland
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  Naval ensign of Germany
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  Flag of the Vietnamese Pure Land Buddhist Laity Association
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  House flag of Socony-Vacuum Oil Company

Variants

Double-pointed

Common in the Nordic countries, this swallowtail flag contains a vertical section in the centre of the fly.

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  Naval ensign of Denmark
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  State flag of Iceland
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  Presidential standard of Iceland

Swallowtail with tongue

Also common in the Nordic countries, the swallowtail flag contains a third tail (the "tongue") between the other two tails.

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  Naval ensign of Sweden
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  Naval ensign of Norway
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  Naval ensign of Finland
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  Naval ensign of Estonia

Triangular swallowtail

The triangular swallowtail is the shape of the flag of the American state of Ohio,^[1] as well as of some burgees, private signals and pennants of the International Code of Signals (ICS).

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  State flag of Ohio
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  Burgee of the Detroit Yacht Club
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  International signal flag for "group"

Guidon

A guidon is the general name given to a small swallowtail flag. Guidons are used to represent military units and are displayed on vehicles attached to a particular unit. In some countries (such as the United States), guidons do not necessarily have a swallow tail.

The military use of the guidon originated from the flags used by cavalry units in Europe. A variant of the guidon, the hussar cut, was used by German cavalry regiments. Instead of a straight V-shaped cut, the swallowtail in a hussar cut flag is curved.

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  Guidon of the USA 7th Cavalry Regiment (19th century)
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  Prussian cavalry standard with hussar cut (18th century)

References

1. Scullin, Katy (17 May 2024). "A Swallowtail What? The History of Ohio's State Flag". Ohio Memory. Ohio History Connection.