Swallow: description, nutrition, reproduction, habitat

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

We are all pleased to find this bird outside our window, because when the swallows arrive, spring comes. They are migratory birds with long pointed wings and streamlined bodies. Due to this shape of the body, their flight is very fast. They are often seen over fields, gardens, lakes, where insects are in abundance. They are recognized by their forked tail. There is a legend that says that this bird helped people steal fire from the gods, an angry god threw a burning coal at it, which, hitting in the middle of the tail, burned it.

Swallow: description

Swallows have a metallic blue-black color, the breast and belly are light gray, with a reddish forehead in young animals, in adults the breast and forehead are white. They have a long forked tail with a number of white spots on individual feathers. The wings of the swallow are pointed, have external tail feathers (streamers), in males they are slightly shorter than in females.

The size of an adult male is 17-19 cm in length, including a tail of 2-7 cm. Wingspan - 32-34.5 cm, in the air the bird makes 5.3 strokes per minute, weight - 16-22 g If the tail is shorter, then this is a female - a swallow. The description of the bird is very similar to the swift, and they are oftenconfused. The head is flattened, with a short beak. Adults molt once a year from about August to March.

Swallows (and other small passerines) often have damage to the feathers on the wings and tails in the form of small holes, such holes are created by parasites - bird lice and mites. Also, the enemies of these little birds are bats and birds of prey.

This bird has a very wide distribution, it can be found all over the world, except for the northern regions. The flight of a swallow is not high-speed, usually the speed is 5-10 km / h at a height of 7-9 meters above the ground or water. At the same time, she is very maneuverable, since she needs to catch insects in the air. In flight over water, it can simultaneously swim by diving into the water.

Food

Insectivorous swallows. In the air during the flight, they catch insects with their wide-open beaks. In bad weather, birds may eat some berries, seeds, and dead insects. Prolonged rainfall can create problems for finding food, leading to the fact that the swallow chick is killed. Flying over the water, the birds dip their beaks into the water and scoop up moisture for drinking.

Nesting

Spring swallows arrive around April, they build nests of mud and vegetable fibers on beams, under the roofs of houses or on ledges of rocks, inside they cover them with straw and down. Existing nests have been frequently updated and reused for almost 50 years. Time from the start of nest building to the emergence of youngranges from 44 to 58 days. Nests may collapse or fall if built too quickly or due to moisture.

To build a house, birds collect mud from the edges of ponds, puddles and ditches, for a complete building you will need to fly from the puddle to the nest about 1000 times. Mud gathering and nest building are social activities for rock martins. Numerous small holes from their beaks remain on the surface of the puddles.

Swallow Songs

The sounds that the bird makes are like gurgling and chirping. This is how swallows communicate with each other when feeding babies, fly up to nests and in the presence of danger. The emitted sound is low, soft, hoarse, like a creaking door.

Reproduction

These birds are usually monogamous, keeping bonds with one partner. Marriage for one season is also found, in rare cases, the male has two females. Birds often nest in colonies. The paired swallow usually aggressively defends a small area around the nest from other individuals. Description of reproduction and development is as follows:

• The clutch consists of three to five eggs about 14 mm in diameter.
• There may be two broods per season.
• Chicks hatch on the 12-17th day. Newly-bred young animals are fed by both parents.
• Among rock martins, the "cuckoo effect" is common, when females lay eggs in other people's nests or shift them from their nests to neighboring ones.
• Babies start flying from 25 days oldage.
• After they learn to fly, the young stay in the nest and the parents continue to feed them. They leave the nest after a few days and stay in the area for several weeks.

Migration

The main reason for seasonal migration is the lack of insects. On this basis, we can conclude: when swallows arrive, ticks and mosquitoes will soon bite. For a bird of such a small size, the swallow makes impressive migratory distances. Birds tend to migrate in tribal flocks that sometimes number several hundred thousand. The migration can last several months, so the swallow's migration path will always lie where there is a high level of flying insects. Arrival time back depends on the severity of weather conditions.

Swallows are among the first to migrate in autumn. They congregate on wires and bare branches, in wetlands or near lakes and rivers. On the way they spend the night in the reeds. Swallow families recognize each other's voices and stay together throughout the migration.

These birds are very tenacious and prolific, their number is several tens of millions of individuals and is kept at a stable level, so there is no threat to their existence at the moment. The only negative is the expansion of the area of \u200b\u200bsettlements and deforestation, but swallows cohabit perfectly in cities and villages with people. Some people purposely make their houses attractive to these birds so that the swallows eat pests.in their gardens.

Folk omens

There are many folk signs about the weather, with which people associate the behavior of such a bird as a swallow. Their description is given below:

• To the rain: if the birds swim and anxiously fly, then into the nest, then out of the nest; if the flight is low over water or land.
• To dry weather - flying high.
• Before the storm - flying up and down.