Friendly bird swallow: description and lifestyle. The barn swallow and everything about it, from a scientific point of view Swallow a brief description of the bird for children

Swallow, species of city swallow or funnel (lat. Delichon urbicum) is a species of bird of the order Passeriformes, family Swallows, genus city swallows.

The bird got its name from the common Slavic word “lasta,” which literally means “flying back and forth.”

What does a city swallow look like?

The size of a swallow is slightly smaller than a sparrow. The body length of an adult is 12-17 cm, with a weight of 18-19 g. Like all members of the family, it has a fragile physique: the body is elongated, the head is slightly flattened, and the beak is small. There is a small notch on the tail, the wings are narrow and long. The wingspan ranges from 20 to 33 cm.

Males and females are not different at all. The head and back of adult birds are blue-black with a bluish sheen. The belly, rump and underside of the wings are pure white. The legs are completely covered with white down and feathers. Juveniles are similar to adults, but differ in duller black plumage on the top and brownish-white underparts.

The molting period extends from late summer to March, with small feathers changing in the fall and large feathers in the spring.

City swallows fly quickly and deftly, but not as quickly as village swallows. The birds' voice is quiet and inexpressive, reminiscent of murmur or prolonged chirping.

Disassembly of city swallows at the time of collecting clay for nests.

Where does the swallow live?

The city swallow is found in all European countries (except northern Scandinavia), as well as in North Africa and temperate regions of Asia.

The swallow is a typical migratory species; birds fly to the tropical regions of Africa and Asia for the winter.

Unlike other species, the city swallow prefers to stay close to trees, which it uses for rest. And for nesting it chooses open landscapes - illuminated areas of rock or sediment, not far from mountain rivers.

But outside populated areas it is much less common than in cities. It gives preference to stone or brick buildings, arranging nests under the roofs and eaves of houses.

It feeds near water, in open areas rich in herbaceous vegetation: lawns, fields and pastures.

A swallow, perhaps a young one or another species.


Swallows on wires.

What does a swallow eat?

Like all members of the family, the city swallow hunts exclusively in the air. Therefore, the bird's diet consists of flying insects: mosquitoes, flies, midges, horse flies, cicadas, beetles and butterflies. Grasshoppers and spiders that move through the air often become food. Prey, including hard-shelled insects, is swallowed whole and easily digested.

In rainy weather, swallows do not hunt, but wait in a nest or shelter. Before cold weather or bad weather, they forage at a height of 10-20 m, descending to the ground after the prey.

The low flight of a swallow is not necessarily associated with the upcoming rain. On fine evenings, when a large number of insects accumulate directly above the ground, birds also fly very low.

Swallow in flight, rear view.

Reproduction of swallows

The swallow is a monogamous bird, and the formed pair remains for life. However, after copulation, males often end up at another nest.

Swallows collect materials to build nests.
Swallows collect materials to build nests.
A swallow collects material to build a nest.

On European territory, swallows return to nesting grounds in April-May, inhabitants of the northern borders of their range - in mid-June, North African populations build nests from the end of March.

In the wild, nests are built in rocky caves and limestone crevices. Some pairs join settlements of shore swallows, occupying empty burrows on clayey river banks.

But most city swallows prefer to nest in cities, building nests under roofs, window eaves, under bridges and even on river ferries. Being social birds, swallows live in colonies of several dozen or hundreds of pairs, building nests close together and getting along well with each other.

Construction of the nest takes about 2 weeks. Sometimes females arrive earlier than males and begin construction on their own. One member of the pair is constantly on duty near the unfinished nest, the second is searching for building material.

The nest looks like a closed hemisphere of lumps of earth, glued to the structure with sticky saliva. The width of the nest is 11-13 cm, height - 7-12 cm. A small hole for entry is equipped at the top. The diameter of the gap allows sparrows to crawl inside, and if this happens, the swallows have to look for a new place for the nest.

The inside of the nest is covered with a soft bedding of grass, wool and down, obtained in flight. The female lays 4-6 pure white eggs measuring 1.9 - 2 x 1.3-1.4 cm, weighing about 1.7 g. The incubation period lasts 2 weeks, 10 days longer in inclement weather.

The female does the incubation; in good weather the male feeds her; in rainy weather she has to feed on her own. Before leaving the egg, the chicks are so weak that the parents themselves break the shell, helping the offspring to be born. At the age of 22-32 days, the chicks can already fly, but they are fed by their parents for another week.

A swallow flies up to the nest.
A swallow feeds its chicks at the nest.
Swallows on wires.

Throughout the entire range, except for the northern regions, swallows give birth twice. Often the chicks of the first brood take an active part in feeding the second generation.

The average life expectancy of a city swallow is 4-5 years, in rare cases - up to 8 years.

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Swallows (Hirundinidae) are birds belonging to the order Passeriformes, and are represented by several species that differ not only in external characteristics, but also in their habitat.

Description of the swallow

To date, a complete description of about eight dozen species of representatives belonging to the swallow family has been given. Such feathered creatures are found almost everywhere.

Important! The unique structure of the body makes the bird very maneuverable and allows it to catch even the fastest insects during the flight, and the mouth with a wide slit makes it convenient to feed birds directly on the fly.

Appearance

Despite the quite noticeable differences, all currently known species of swallows that live throughout the globe have a lot of similar features, which are represented by:

• metallic tint of feathers in the back area;
• broad chest;
• widened at the base and rather shortened beak;
• fairly large mouth;
• the absence of external differences between male and female individuals;
• plumage that fits tightly to the body;
• tenacious fingers and long claws;
• lack of differences in plumage color between chicks and adult birds.

Among other things, swallows belong to the category of birds that are not too large in body size and wingspan. All species of swallows are characterized by the presence of very long wings compared to the body. Their maximum span can vary between 33-35 cm.

This is interesting! The lower limbs of a swallow are almost completely unsuited for moving on the ground, and if circumstances force such movement, then a bird of this species walks very awkwardly.

Despite its quite impressive length, the swallow's wings are relatively narrow, and the tail part is shaped like a fork. The swallow's dorsal plumage is dark in color, while the feathers covering the belly are white or light beige. Depending on the species characteristics, the plumage of a swallow can vary dramatically in color and shade.

Lifestyle and character

Swallows belong to the category of common migratory birds that lead an exclusively diurnal lifestyle. The arrival of such birds occurs in the middle of the last spring month. The second half of the month is spent building nests and laying eggs.

The process of incubation of eggs by a swallow lasts on average a little less than a couple of weeks, and the period of feeding the chicks takes about three weeks. Birds become ready for mass flight with the onset of autumn.

The swallow's singing vaguely resembles a chirp, ending with a trill that is very characteristic of this type of songbird. Almost all species of swallows are birds that lead a social lifestyle, so they gather in fairly large groups.

This is interesting! As a rule, swallows try to settle near natural bodies of water, where there is a significant amount of material for nest construction and food insects, including small grasshoppers, as well as medium-sized dragonflies and crickets.

Very often, flocks sit on wires or other various elevations. Nests are also built in large colonies, in which each pair actively defends the territory around its own nest.

How long does a swallow live?

According to long-term observations, the average lifespan of a swallow is about four years. However, among the swallows ringed by specialists, a lifespan of eight years was observed.

Types of swallows

Despite the fact that there are about eight dozen species of swallows worldwide, the most widespread and almost ubiquitous are:

• barn swallows. The species is characterized by a blue-black dorsal area and wings, a whitish-pink chest and abdomen. Among the people, this species received a fairly widespread and original name “killer whale”. These birds prefer to settle in close proximity to human habitation. Very often, birds of this species build nests under the roofs of residential or abandoned buildings. The barn swallow arrives after the end of the winter period, with the onset of summer;
• city ​​swallows. A characteristic difference between the species and the barn swallow is the presence of lighter plumage in the abdominal area. Among other things, the city swallow, which is popularly referred to as a “funnel,” is most widespread exclusively in the northern regions of our country;
• land swallows. This species includes common swifts, the main difference between which and most of their closest relatives is the ability to allocate not too deep burrows dug in the ground for their housing. However, despite its name, a significant part of the life of land swallows occurs directly in flight, and this species leads a terrestrial lifestyle only when arranging a nest, as well as laying eggs and incubating its offspring;
• tree swallows. A distinctive feature of this swallow from many other species is the very bright and very interesting coloring of the plumage. The feathers of these fairly widespread birds are not just black, but have a very characteristic and extremely attractive, thick purple tint.

Ant-swallows are of particular interest. This small bird is distributed exclusively in South America. The main difference from a significant part of other representatives belonging to this family is the inability to migrate.

Important! The largest of the swallows common in North America is the purple tree swallow, which is a fifth of a meter long, and the name is due to the appearance of a purple color in the plumage of the chicks by winter.

Antcatcher swallows lead a sedentary lifestyle, and the name is due to the ability of such birds to use colonies of tree ants as their main food. A characteristic feature of this species is the presence of strong and sturdy legs.

Range and habitats

Swallows spend a very large amount of energy on the process of obtaining food and that is why such birds need a significant amount of it. As a rule, the natural habitat for most species of swallows is predominantly southern countries, where soil and climatic conditions are optimal for birds, and in addition there is a sufficient amount of food.

This is interesting! It should be noted that all species that live in tropical zones belong to the category of sedentary, and species in the temperate climate zone are migratory, flying to warm countries, starting from the last summer month.

Birds of any kind belonging to the order Passeriformes are almost completely absent in the polar regions and in the northern part of the temperate zone. Significant species diversity of swallows is represented by the territory of Africa, but such birds are also quite often found on other continents. For example, the nesting range of the barn swallow is very wide, and includes both large and small settlements devoid of an urbanized landscape.

Swallow feeding and prey

For their food, swallows of different species use exclusively all kinds of flying insects. Even in conditions of very severe, non-flying weather, birds never replace this type of food with different larvae or seeds and larvae, which makes such birds quite vulnerable during periods of lack of food.

The feeding territory, as a rule, is located within a radius not exceeding half a kilometer from the nest. Most often, the swallow catches its prey in open places, including lawns, river valleys, mountain slopes and fields.

The basis of the diet is insects, represented by mosquitoes, midges, flies, small butterflies, beetles and dragonflies. Immediately before the rain, when the humidity in the air increases, the flight of insects becomes much more difficult, and it is for this reason that swallows descend quite close to the ground, where the main amount of food is located. This behavioral feature of the swallow became the basis for signs used in weather forecasting.

This is interesting! Low flights of swallows are not always associated with the approach of rain, since on fine evenings, a significant number of insects often accumulate directly above the ground, and the birds are forced to fly very low.

Reproduction and offspring

Swallows belong to the category of monogamous birds, therefore, pairs formed from sexually mature adults are maintained, as a rule, throughout their lives. However, as observations show, after the copulation process, male swallows quite often find themselves close to other nests.

In European countries, swallows return to nesting grounds around April or May, and the inhabitants of the northern borders of their natural range typically build a nest and prepare for egg-laying in the middle of the first summer month. As practice shows, North African populations begin building a nest in the last ten days of March or early April.

In natural conditions, nests are most often built by wild swallows in rocky caves or in limestone crevices. As long-term observations show, some pairs of such birds can join settlements of shore swallows and occupy abandoned burrows in clayey coastal river zones.

Swallows are social birds that live in colonies of several dozen or even hundreds of pairs. The nests built by the birds, in this case, are located close to each other, and the birds inhabiting them get along well with each other. The average time to build a nest is about a couple of weeks.

It is often observed that the female arrives earlier and independently builds a nest for oviposition. After the arrival of the male, only one member of the couple is constantly on duty next to the unfinished nest, and the second spends a significant part of the time searching for building materials.

Important! A significant part of city swallows prefer nesting in urban areas, where bird nests are built under roofs, under window eaves and under bridges, and sometimes even in very unusual places, including river ferries.

In appearance, a swallow's nest resembles a closed hemisphere, and the main building materials for creating such a home are earthen clods and sticky saliva of birds. The width of the finished nest is approximately 110-130 mm with a height of 70-120 mm.

In the upper part of the swallow's nest, a small-sized so-called inlet hole is necessarily equipped. The diameter of such a gap is sufficient for a sparrow to crawl inside the nest. When a sparrow appears in the nest, the swallow has to leave it and look for a new place for its home.

The inside of the nest is covered with a fairly soft bedding, which can be represented by grass, wool and down, which are obtained by the birds during the flight. After the fertilization process, the female lays about five white eggs, measuring 1.9-2.0x1.3-1.4 cm. The average egg weight is approximately 1.6-1.7 g. The entire incubation period lasts a couple of weeks, but under unfavorable weather conditions, it may well take three weeks.

During the incubation process, only the female swallow is involved, and if the weather is good, the male takes over feeding. On rainy days, the female has to get food exclusively on her own.

When born, the chicks are so weak that the parents have to break the shell themselves and help their offspring with the birth. Once swallow chicks are three or four weeks old, they can fly independently, but are fed by both parents for another week.

It is rightfully considered a symbol of spring. Since ancient times, people have tried to have swallow nests under the roof of their houses. According to legend, a swallow's nest brings peace, prosperity and wealth to the family.

In addition, these birds are very useful for humans in that all day long they do nothing but exterminate harmful insects. When in the spring these nimble birds again scurry around the nest that was empty during the winter, there is a real holiday in the house. The swallows have returned - spring has come! And this is real joy!

Barn swallow with forked tail: description

Interesting information. The swallow can be called one of the cutest migratory birds. The size of this messenger of spring is very small, its body length is 15-20 cm, the span of its long sharp wings is 30-35 cm. The small creature weighs only 18-20 g. The swallow can be easily recognized by its long tail, which has a deep fork-shaped cut.

The plumage of the bird is blue-black above, pale beige below. On the forehead and front of the neck, the barn swallow has light spots with a brown tint. You can distinguish a female from a male by its tail; in a “girl” it is slightly shorter than in a “boy”. The color of the male is more saturated, the plumage of the females is less contrasting.

Habitat

The habitat of the small bird is quite large. Breeding swallows are found in North Africa, North America, Europe and Asia. These cute creatures winter in South America, Africa and Asia.

One can judge from the very name of the bird that the barn swallow prefers to build its nest in the countryside. You can notice these swallow-like structures on the walls of residential and commercial premises both in villages and small towns. Birds feel much more comfortable in quieter places. Most often, their nests are observed in village stables or barns, while these birds do not live on large farms.

As mentioned earlier, people have long believed that swallows bring happiness to the house, therefore, in order to introduce these birds to their yard, the owners arrange special wooden structures with corners convenient for nesting. This helps maintain the population of small and useful creatures for people.

Lifestyle

The barn swallow is diurnal. This is a migratory bird that arrives from wintering in mid-May. Until the beginning of June, nimble feathered creatures are busy building nests; after housing problems are resolved, the birds immediately lay eggs and hatch their offspring. They fly to warmer climes in September.

Barn swallows live in large flocks; they like to perch in groups on wires and chirp loudly. Their song ends with a trill that is pleasant to the ear. They land on the ground much more often than other types of swallows. Birds nest in large colonies, each pair of birds zealously protects and defends the territory near its nest.

What does a swallow eat?

The diet of this small creature consists mainly of flying insects. This menu includes mosquitoes, flies and butterflies. When it is cool outside or raining, insects hide and the barn swallow exchanges flying insects for crawling spiders and caterpillars. Everyone knows that before it rains, these birds fly very low over the water, but does everyone know that they do this because in bad weather, insects living near the surface of the water begin to move actively, thereby giving birds the opportunity to labor to get food.

When hungry chicks squeal in the nest, a pair of swallows must work from morning to night to feed the voracious young. Parent birds bring insects to their babies in their esophagus; during the day, five chicks will need about four hundred servings.

Reproduction

Swallows build their nests from lumps of damp earth and clay, so that they are more durable and lined with straw and hay. It is shaped like an open cup. Inside, the birds line their home with feathers and soft grass. At the end of May, the female lays up to five eggs; they are white in color with purple or red specks. The male helps the expectant mother hatch the chicks, but he replaces her only when she needs to eat.

Barn swallow chicks are born from eggs after 14 to 18 days of incubation. For only three weeks, parents must care for their young, after which the young swallows fly out of the nest and into independent life. After seeing off the first brood, a pair of birds begins to prepare to incubate the second. If the year is warm, swallows manage to release their young three times a season.

Country and city swallows: interesting facts

A related species of the Barn Swallow is the City Swallow, which is the most common species of these migratory birds. Many interesting facts are known about their life:

1. The swallow's song consists of ringing "vit-vit", but when the birds notice danger, they alarm all members of the huge flock, warning about this with a loud "civil".
2. It happens that the chicks from the last brood do not have time to get stronger and are not able to fly away with the flock to warmer climes with the onset of cold weather. In this case, the swallows' parents do not abandon their still weak children and remain with them until they are able to fly for the winter.
3. While wintering in Africa, swallows feed on ants; these birds really like this variety in the usual menu of flying insects.
4. Relatively recently, scientists managed to learn, thanks to the banding of swallows, that after spending the summer in Central Europe, these birds go to South Africa for the winter.
5. During long flights to warm regions, swallows, unfortunately, often die from exhaustion and hunger.
6. The barn swallow is unable to live without singing. She sings when she is looking for food in flight, she sings when she is swinging, sitting on wires, and she sings when she is just resting.
7. When in Ancient Rome, after chariot races, the hero who took first place was announced, the winner’s colors were tied to the swallow’s feet and the bird was released into the sky as a symbol of victory and free flight.

Swallows are small birds that belong to the family of the same name in the order Passeriformes. They differ from other passerines by their characteristic appearance. Swallows resemble swifts in appearance, but are not closely related to them. In total, there are 79 species of these birds in the world today.

Habitat and wintering

Swallows almost always feed on the fly, so it takes them a lot of energy to get food. Thus, these birds need a lot of food. That is why they live in warmer areas. But in the north and in the polar regions these birds are practically not found:

1. The greatest species diversity can be found on the African continent.
2. Sedentary species of these birds live in the tropical zone.
3. Only migratory species live in the temperate zone.
4. Swallows are divided into urban and rural swallows. This division is relative.
5. In turn, urban representatives are usually divided into European and Siberian.
6. European swallows live in Europe, Asia west of the Yenisei River, and in northern America.
7. Siberian species inhabit China, Siberia and Mongolia.

These migratory birds arrive at their nesting sites in late spring - late April or early May. They fly away for the winter at the end of August - beginning of September. These birds are very friendly. If any of the pairs discovers a suitable place to build a nest, all other birds try to build their home as close as possible. The nests are attached wall to wall in the literal sense of the word.

European swallows fly to Africa for the winter in areas located south of the Sahara. The wintering place of Siberian swallows is the southern part of China and the foothills of the Himalayas.

Barn swallows winter in South America, southern Asia and Indonesia. These birds are not found in Australia.

Gallery: bird swallow (25 photos)

Appearance

Different species of these birds can vary greatly in appearance, size and body weight. The body length can vary from 6 to 24 cm, and the total weight ranges from 10 to 65 grams. The entire appearance of these birds suggests that swallows spend most of their lives in flight. Body color may also have some differences depending on the area. However All types of swallows have certain common features:

There is no significant difference in color between representatives of different sexes or ages. A slightly more pronounced contrast is possible in males.

Nesting and breeding

Swallows are considered monogamous birds. During one season, they choose a single partner and remain faithful to him. In the southern regions, females manage to lay 2 clutches of eggs per year, but in the northern regions - only one.

The bird builds its nest in a way unusual for birds. The nest is shaped like a basket, which is neatly glued to the vertical wall on the top and sides. Birds use soil, which is mixed with their own saliva, as material for building a nest. This mixture soon hardens and turns into a very durable material. Very often, swallows build their homes on cliffs or in caves. Since swallows are flocking birds, they form large colonies that can number several hundred families.

Modern swallows They increasingly began to use the walls of buildings in cities and towns for their needs. In natural conditions today you can only find sand martins. They build their nests in cliffs with sandy or clay soil. Swallows dig holes in soft ground and build nests there.

The inside of the nest is lined with feathers, soft blades of grass and down. From 3 to 6 eggs are laid in each nest per season. For 2 weeks, the female incubates the eggs, and at this time the male brings her food to the nest. If the weather is bad outside, there may not be enough food and then the incubation period can be extended to three weeks.

Chicks hatch from eggs completely featherless and helpless. These babies spend the first three weeks of their lives in nests. At this time, both parents obtain food and bring it to the nest for the offspring. Since the parents hunt mainly small insects, they have to fly up to the nest with prey up to 600 times per knock. After the young individuals grow up, they fly away for the winter with their parents to India, Indochina, Africa or South America.

If a swallow is attacked by a predator, all the birds begin to scream shrilly and try to scare away the enemy and confuse him. In some cases, these small birds even manage to scare off such a large predator as a fox.

Nutritional Features

Swallows spend most of their time in flight. They feed on the fly and can even drink when they sweep over the surface of bodies of water. To rest, birds perch on thin wires or tree branches.

Swallows feed only on flying insects. Under no circumstances do they replace such food with larvae or plant seeds. This has led to the birds being very vulnerable to changing weather conditions and lack of food.

The diet of these birds includes mosquitoes, small butterflies and dragonflies, midges, flies, beetles. Since such prey is very small, the birds do not pursue it alone. A swallow, flying closer to a cluster of midges, opens its mouth wider. The current of wind carries insects that happen to be nearby into the bird's throat.

If it's going to rain, the humidity level in the air increases, making it more difficult for insects to fly. Because of this, they begin to fly lower, closer to the ground. Following them, swallows also descend lower to the grass. People noticed this feature of the behavior of birds a very long time ago and even began to predict the weather using it.

During feeding all the swallows stay in a flock and talk to each other, emitting a piercing squeak. After eating, they prefer to rest in the same crowded manner. To do this, the whole flock sits on the wires and begins to chirp melodiously.

The message about the swallow will help you prepare for the lesson and learn interesting facts about these birds.

Message about the swallow

Swallows- a species-rich family of passerines. The swallow spends most of its life soaring in the air, very rarely falling to the ground. They are even able to catch insects in flight. Swallows are migratory birds.

Today, about 120 species of these birds are known (the largest number of species live in Africa).

The swallow is distinguished from other birds by its black silk tailcoat, white breast and sharp forked tail. This is an agile, graceful bird, constantly soaring in the air, capable of drinking on the fly and even dipping into the water for a moment. Males and females are not much different, except for the less contrasting plumage of the female. The migratory swallow is considered a useful bird that eats a large number of insects.

Where do swallows winter?

Young birds fly with adults to winter in Africa, India, Indochina, South America

Where do swallows live and where do they build nests?

Representatives of the swallow family, living in almost all regions of the planet, with the exception of Antarctica and Australia, easily adapt to any conditions. Birds often choose the eaves of buildings, mountain rocks, stone caves, cozy corners under bridges, and less often tree branches as nesting sites. Birds build their nest from earth or clay, gluing them together with saliva. The swallow lines the bottom of the nest with feathers and plant debris.

Swallows are monogamous birds; partners remain faithful to each other for one season. In the northern regions, these birds nest once a year, in the southern regions they manage to make 2 clutches. They line their nests with down, feathers and soft blades of grass. They lay 3 to 6 eggs. The female incubates them for 12-14 days, and the male provides her with food. Since the food sources of these birds are unreliable, in bad weather the incubation time can be delayed up to 18-22 days. The chicks hatch naked and helpless. They spend 3 weeks in the nest. All this time they are fed by both parents, and due to the small size of the insects, they are forced to fly up to the nest with food up to 600 times a day.

What do swallows eat?

Swallows feed exclusively on flying insects. Even in case of bad weather, they do not replace this type of food with seeds and larvae, which makes them quite vulnerable to lack of food. The basis of their diet is mosquitoes, midges, flies, small butterflies, beetles and dragonflies. They mainly catch their prey in flight, and are able to feed their chicks while in flight.

How long does a swallow live?

On average, swallows live 4 years. Although there is documented evidence of eight-year-old birds, this is rare.

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