Barn Swallow
Tagged: animal, animals, bird, insect( image )
The barn swallow breed in Northern Europe, North America, North Africa and the middle East, north-central Asia, China and Japan. It spends the winter in Africa south of the Sahara, southern Asia, Australia and South America. Flitting, dipping and diving, the barn swallow is built for agility. With its metallic, dark blue, swept-back, wings and streamlined body, it spends much of its life in the air. Seen by many as a symbol of spring, the barn swallow’s return to the northern hemisphere, after wintering in southerly climes, is a sure sign that warm weather is on the way. This delightful bird makes its nest close to human habitation, often in barns and other farm buildings – hence its name.
In-flight Meals
Barn swallow snatch insects in their bills and eat them in mid-air. They feed on flies and other small flying insects, such as mosquitoes, aphids, bees, wasps and mayflies. Hunting over open, flat land, they pursue their prey in fast, zigzag pattern, gliding only rarely. Sometimes hundreds of barn swallows also may be seen feeding together over an area rich in insects. They are so at home in the air that they even feed their young while flying.
Part of body
- Extra long streamers on a male, mean he is healthy and fit to breed
- Feet adapted for perching on branches, cliffs and overhead wires
- Deeply forked tail with elongated feathers for better flight control and rapid turning
- Long tapering wings cut through the air and give more agility
- Strong flight muscles to endure long migrations
Statistics
- status – lower risk
- social unit – group
- length – 18 cm
- wingspan – 38 cm
- weight – 17-20 g
- migration – seasonal migrant
- plumage – sexes alike
- sexual maturity – 2 years
- breeding season – early summer
- incubation period – 15-17 days
- number of eggs – 4-6
- diet – flies and other flying insects
- lifespan – up to 9 years
Myth or fact
A barn swallow can fly up to 300 km in a single day, during migration. Theoretically, this means that it could travel from South Africa to Scandinavia in just 30 days. In fact, in the 1960s, a swallow ringed near Kimberley, South Africa, was recovered in Ireland, just 31 days later. However, this journey normally takes barn swallows uo to three months to complete.
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