Swallow (photo): The graceful bird of the far flight

Swallow

Classification

Genus: Swallows

Family: swallow

Order: Passeriformes

Class: birds

Type: Chordates

Kingdom: animals

Sizes: wingspan – 30-34 cm; body length – 17-23 cm; body weight – 15-20 g.

Life expectancy: 4-5 years.

Swallow – a small graceful bird overcoming in the process migration is truly vast distances. To date allocated about 120 bird species, most of which are migratory.

The bird spends most of its life in flight, namely on the fly there is feeding, reproduction, hunting. Habitat swallows very wide – these crumbs are unpretentious and easily adapt even the most difficult living conditions.

Swallows prefer to keep in packs – it’s easier to protect territory nesting from uninvited guests, as well as defend against potential enemies, which are many in the face of natural Wednesday.

Graceful and fragile birds annually overcome huge distance in an effort to get home.

Swallow

Swallows are not adapted for walking on the ground

Content

  • 1 External description
  • 2 habitat
  • 3 types of swallows
  • 4 Lifestyle
  • 5 Nesting and breeding
  • 6 Interesting Facts

External Description

Probably almost everyone knows what a swallow looks like. These graceful birds live not only in the countryside, but also in major cities.

In the presence of care and observation, it is quite possible see that different types of swallows are clearly different from each other in external signs: color, size, weight.

However, some general description uniting these birds, still there. Among the similarities should be called:

  • streamlined body structure, providing swallow gorgeous aerodynamic qualities;
  • rigid plumage adjacent to the body is very tight;
  • poorly developed limbs;
  • long pointed wings;
  • predominantly blue-black plumage, permissible various variations of shades, depending on the species accessories;
  • the plumage also has a white color in the abdomen, suprahangles, either breast;
  • simplified structure of the beak.

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Swallow

Feeding the chicks is a very important task

Most photos depict swallows in flight or in the immediate vicinity of the nest, resembling a ball in shape. This can be explained by the fact that the vast majority of their lives are tiny birds spend it in flight.

Somewhat unusual appearance, light weight, dense plumage – all of these qualities together allow the swallows not only great to fly short distances, but also to overcome thousands kilometers during the migration period.

Habitat

Despite its fragility and small size, the swallow – a unique bird whose unpretentiousness allows it to settle in almost any region. The habitat of these birds is incredible wide

They do not live only in the Far North, due to severe climatic conditions.

On the territory of modern Russia, the two most common The main types of swallows: rural and urban.

As the name implies, the swallow is predominantly urban lives in the boundaries of large settlements. Also this kind of bird settles in rocky terrain, building nests in stone crevices.

As for the second species, the swallow prefers as the main habitat the most calm and quiet the countryside.

Often a bird settles in the vicinity of open natural reservoirs due to the abundance of building materials for nests, as well as a large number of insects.

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Species of swallows

Swallow

Almost all the life of swallows takes place in flight

Almost everybody knows what a swallow looks like. But far from everyone suspects that in nature there are many different species of these birds.

As the most common, living practically everywhere, up to the northern regions, it is necessary to name the following:

  • Barn Swallow. The species of this bird can be called peculiar classics: blue-black back and wings, white-pink chest and abdomen. In the people, this species received a widespread name killer whale. Such birds settle in the immediate vicinity of housing, often building nests directly under the roofs of houses. About killer whale composed many poems of Russian poets, and it is this the sight of swallows marks its arrival the end of winter and the onset of summer.
  • City swallow. This species differs from killer whales only light plumage on the abdomen. Besides that, the city swallow, also called “funnel”, most common in the northern regions.
  • Earthen swallows, including, among others, ordinary swift. Unlike most of its relatives, representatives of this species prefer to use in As housing, shallow minks dug in the ground. Despite the name, almost the whole life of earthen swallows takes place in in flight, they touch the soil exclusively when arranging nests, and also hatching offspring.
  • Tree swallows. Differ from other types of bright, very interesting coloring. The plumage of these birds is black, but has one characteristic feature is a dense purple tint.

Swallow

No one canceled dinner

  • Ants. These birds are distributed exclusively in southern America. Unlike many other members of the family, they Do not migrate, leading a sedentary lifestyle. As the name suggests, this species of swallows feeds predominantly on large tree ants (by the way, they also love this delicacy robins and jays). also in their main features must be called strong and strong legs, which is not typical for most swallows.

Lifestyle

Swallow

Often swallows settle in large colonies

As mentioned above, most swallows are migratory birds migrating in the cold season from northern to southern countries regions. This is explained quite simply – the main source The nutrition of these little birds are insects.

There are also species of swallows leading a settled lifestyle, but as a habitat of such, only countries are called with a warm and mild climate.

The lower extremities of birds are practically not adapted to walking, accordingly, almost their entire lives pass in flight. In view of the need for long-term migrations twice a year, huge flocks of swallows fly to huge distance.

Due to the adverse effects of weather, lack of sufficient food, as well as diseases, many birds die during the flight.

Typically, swallows spending the summer months in regions with temperate climate, fly to nesting sites in the beginning to middle May.

Winter migration begins around mid-September. The indicated dates may vary slightly depending on the amount of food found by birds.

Nesting and breeding

Swallow

The swallows form stable pairs

Often swallows belonging to the most common species, settle in large colonies numbering more than one hundred individuals. During the breeding season, birds are divided into pairs.

As a rule, the formed pair persists throughout life expectancy. However, if the previous offspring were weakened and painful, the formation of a new pair is not excluded.

In swallow colonies, there is an interesting feature: if the male does not find a female for himself during courtship, he is quite can join an existing pair.

In such cases, the male can play the role of a kind of nanny and housekeepers: he helps build a nest, feed chicks and guard the territory from uninvited guests, including cuckoos.

Swallow

Sometimes swallows hatch other people’s eggs, if they accidentally fell into their nest

In temperate regions, courtship and mating accounts for approximately mid-May-early June. Number of masonry depends on weather conditions.

In a favorable year, subject to the absence of frost and sharp temperature differences, a pair of swallows is quite capable of removing two or three broods.

At the same time, there is an interesting feature in the bird family: grown chicks belonging to the first clutch and have already left nest, help parents feed younger brothers.

Both male and female are involved in the construction of the nest. Birds build a frame from moist soil, or clay, in addition wetting the material with your own saliva.

To preserve heat in the home, the female lines the nest with a layer soft grass, fluff and feathers.

Swallow

Most often, swallows catch insects on the fly

Upon completion of the nest, the female lays three to seven eggs, hatching them for two to two and a half weeks. Male also takes an active part in hatching, replacing the female for a while feeding, or bringing her to the nest of various insects.

Swallow chick is born completely helpless, blind and naked, but at the same time has an enviable appetite. In order to feed offspring, parents need to provide daily offspring at least four hundred servings of feed.

Swallow chick is on the wing sixteen days after hatching, and after three weeks the parent leaves nest.

Swallow

Swallows build beautiful and strong nests

Interesting Facts

A lot of poems are written about swallows, these tiny birds appear in various tales and stories. As the most Interesting facts about the life of birds can be mentioned:

  • Almost all types of swallows, with the exception of only a few, they feed exclusively in the air, capturing insects on fly. They are practically not adapted to other food than due to their flights over long distances in the period the onset of winter cold.
  • These birds spend a significant part of their life in the air. They are they eat, drink, sleep and mate on the fly.
  • The lower limbs of the swallows are practically not adapted to movement on the ground. If circumstances force them to do so, the birds walk very awkwardly.

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  • Often in temperate zones, the female makes two masonry in during the summer. In such cases, the chicks do not always have enough time get stronger to cover a long distance in the process migration. Then the parents remain with the offspring right up to the moment when the chicks are ready to fly.
  • City and village swallows staying in the cold years in countries with hot climates often change their usual diet, eating large ants. Eating these insects provides birds need enough nutrients to mass gain before migration.
  • Long flights are not easy for swallows. Considerable the number of birds dies not only from hunger and fatigue, but also from adverse weather conditions, as well as the fault of various predators.
  • A very interesting feature distinguishes the barn swallow: this tiny bird cannot live without constant singing. Like waxwing, she sings constantly, including in the process of flight, eating, and also in moments of danger. Per This characteristic sign of this bird became one of the main characters of Russian fairy tales, which notifies singing about the arrival spring.
  • Swallows are good builders. To give strength to the nests they use stalks of dry grass, long animal hair, strands, which weave between layers of clay.
  • Barn and city swallows are practically not afraid of people. On the contrary, birds of these species prefer to build their nests in close proximity to human housing. Often – right under the roof, on open balconies and loggias, windows. Such a neighborhood very useful for humans – birds prevent entry into open windows of flying insects.
  • Mostly the swallows form a pair that persists on the extension of their entire short life. But when born offspring insufficiently adapted to existence, weakened and painful, the couple may break up.
  • The average life expectancy of birds is about four years. But there are official data on centenarians whose age was at least eight years old.

Swallow

Swallows – characters of many stories and tales

In Russian and Old Slavonic mythology, the swallow is a symbol of spring, warmth and rebirth, the beginning of a new life. And this is understandable – funny song of these glorious birds, overcoming incredible the distances each year indicate the end of a long winter and cold weather, meaning the arrival of spring and the sun.

Swallow: Graceful Long-Range Bird

Swallow – a small graceful bird overcoming in the process migration is truly vast distances. To date allocated about 120 bird species, most of which are migratory.

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