Swallow bird: village, city and others. Night swallows

Why does the “legless swallow” sleep in the air April 16th, 2015

The air is the kingdom of swifts, because they spend, one might say, their entire lives there. They spend most of their rather long life (the oldest ringed swift was 21 years old) in flight. At the same time, they eat, sleep, swim, rest and even mate on the fly. In one day, a swift, developing a speed of about 100 km/h (or even up to 110), can cover a distance of up to 1800 km.

An interesting feature of swifts is that they can sleep in the air. And not for a few minutes, but for several hours, gliding high in the sky, occasionally moving its wings in its sleep. In the morning they wake up and begin their usual business - they begin to catch insects.

Meanwhile, the whole answer is “why do swifts even sleep in the air? " lies in their lifestyle.

This small bird appears much larger due to its unusually long wings. The swift reaches a length of up to 18 centimeters, while its wingspan is 40 centimeters. And his legs are small and weak, not at all suitable for walking. Therefore one of the first scientific names Swift, translated from Latin, was “legless swallow.” Now it becomes completely clear why no one saw him sitting on the ground - here this born flyer becomes completely helpless, unable to take off and doomed to death. Swifts can only sit on a branch or cling to a vertical rock with sharp claws.

During sharp summer cold snaps, when insects (prey of swifts) disappear from the air, the body temperature of these birds may drop, and they temporarily fall into torpor. This is even more pronounced in chicks - adults can fly away from bad weather - babies become numb from cold and hunger, their temperature drops to 20 degrees, and in this state they steadfastly wait out the hunger strike for up to 9-12 days.

Swifts manage not only to sleep on the fly, but also to hover over the same place so that they are not carried away by the wind. To find out how they do this, ornithologists Johan Beckman and Thomas Alrstam from Lund University in Sweden used radar to track the movement of swifts at night. As reported in the German scientific journal Bild der Wissenschaft, scientists have noticed certain patterns in the flight of sleeping swifts that allow them to stay above certain place. Birds gain high altitude, up to three thousand meters, and then fly at an angle to the direction of the wind, changing flight direction every few minutes. Thanks to this rhythmicity, swifts continue to fly back and forth over the same place. But in light winds, as has been noted, swifts fly in circles in their sleep.

Swift is known for its records. This is one of the fastest flying birds. The most flying bird - can stay in the air for 2-4 years. During all this time he sleeps, drinks, eats and even mates on the fly. A young swift on its wing may fly 500,000 km before landing for the first time..

Despite the fact that swifts live literally above our heads, we know very little about them. Unlike other birds, they do not sing songs or chirp with other birds while sitting near their nests. They seem to be in a hurry to catch up short summer raise and feed the offspring and prepare them for adult life. They are busy with everyday concerns and an idle life is simply not for them. However, black swifts, unlike songbirds, do not teach their chicks how to get food. They become independent as soon as they leave the parental nest.

Flies away gradually in August. Winters in Africa, in the south to the equator.

Many people sometimes confuse swifts with swallows. In some ways they are really similar: both are tireless flyers. But you can still distinguish swifts at first glance: their wings are crescent-shaped and narrower, and they fly swiftly and straight, not as nimble as swallows; and usually higher. If you ever manage to hold a swift in your hands, pay attention to its paws. They are small and not at all suitable for walking. Therefore, one of the first scientific names of the swift, translated from Latin, was “ legless swallow". Swallows, on the contrary, can walk on the ground and easily take off from a flat surface. The swift's beak is also small, but its throat is wide. This is understandable. Cutting through warm currents of air carrying myriads of midges, the swift takes a mouthful of food, coats it with saliva and then flies with this lump of food to the nest. Atmospheric pressure affects the distribution of insects in the air. Therefore, like swallows, on sunny days, swifts hunt at high altitudes, and in cloudy weather, they sometimes fly right over the ground.

An active representative of the passerine family. People have a lot of fairy tales and legends about it. It is believed that the bird brings happiness and prosperity to the house under the roof of which it has built a nest. The bird becomes a talisman against fires and thieves. Therefore, under no circumstances should you destroy the swallows’ home. According to the sign, misfortunes and troubles will not keep you waiting.

Swallow habitat and description

The bird belongs to the swallow family, which has almost 80 species. Most of them live in warm countries:

• Europe;
• Asia;
• America;
• Central Africa.

There are about 10 species in Russia.

Swallows belong to the class of migratory birds. However, individuals inhabiting hot countries do not leave their usual habitats for wintering. In warm climates, food and water are available throughout the year. The same cannot be said about the northern regions.

The swallow is one of the few birds that can catch insects in flight and get food in the air. This is facilitated by anatomical features - a slender, streamlined body, a wide and short beak. Birds feed mainly on flying insects: flies, dragonflies, beetles.

Depending on the species, swallows differ slightly from each other in color and lifestyle. However, all birds have some common characteristics:

• color - the tail, wings, back are dark blue or black with a metallic tint;
• beak - wide, opens very wide;
• body - slender, oblong, streamlined;
• chest - wide, with lighter plumage;
• wings - long, narrow;
• the tail is long in almost all species (sometimes slightly shorter in females);
• paws - short, weak.

There are practically no differences in color between adults and young animals of both sexes. Sometimes the plumage of males is a little more contrasting.

Some species are very miniature - they weigh only 10-12 g, grow up to 9-10 cm. The weight of larger individuals is 50-65 g. The body length reaches 24 cm. The wingspan is 35 cm.

A distinctive feature of all swallows is their flight speed, which is 120 km/h. In terms of agility and speed, birds are second only to swifts. The birds are very similar to each other both in appearance and in their lifestyle. Representatives of these families spend most of their time in flight: hunting, feeding chicks, mating, and sometimes sleeping.

Active and playful birds do not live very long - a maximum of 4 years. Although there are exceptions. Cases have been recorded when the life expectancy of swallows was almost 8 years.

Types of swallows

The swallow family is diverse and has many genera. The most common:

The second name for birds is funnels. Includes three subspecies. Lives in Europe, Asia, Russia. The most widespread species both in terms of number of representatives and range. Most often they settle near human habitation (under the roofs of houses), sometimes on steep cliffs, in mountain crevices. City swallows are migratory birds. They cover long distances, migrating to wintering areas. Usually this is Africa (from the Sahara to South Africa).

A distinctive feature is the plumage. The color of the back is blue-black or simply black, the belly and chest are white. The tail is somewhat shorter than that of representatives of other genera. Body length is 10-14 cm. Weight usually does not exceed 20 g.

1. Barn Swallow

The second name is killer whale swallow. Not afraid of people and often settles in rural areas, arranging a nest under the roofs of houses. Distinctive features:

• long tail, forked at the end;
• long wings, pointed and curved at the end;
• the plumage is blue-black with a metallic tint;
• the chest and abdomen are light beige;
• red-brown feathers on the forehead and neck.

Typically the birds reach 20-24 cm in length. Weigh no more than 20 g.

The range is very wide because birds easily adapt to different conditions. Individuals reproduce in the territory North America, Eurasia (with the exception of regions in the subarctic and arctic climate zones). They fly to Mexico, South America, Africa and Asia for the winter. Small groups fly and wait out the cold on the northern coast of Australia.

Birds usually return to the same place to breed. They can build a nest near human habitation, outbuildings, and on rocks. The main thing is that there is a source of water nearby and a sufficient amount of food - beetles, flies, mosquitoes and other flying insects.

Birds are diurnal, most of which is spent in flight. They live in small colonies. They build nests from clay or mud mixed with twigs and feathers. They are distinguished by their beautiful singing, which at first resembles a chirp and ends with a trill.

1. Shore swallow, or shore swallow

A bird that lives in Russia, Europe, Asia and other regions. It is not found only in Australia and Antarctica. The smallest representative of the swallow family:

• body length does not exceed 13 cm;
• weight - 15 g;
• wingspan - up to 28 cm.

The color is unremarkable - brownish-gray. The chest is grayish, with a dark stripe. The wings and tail are somewhat darker than the back.

Birds prefer to settle in colonies on cliffs near water bodies. The soil should be soft or sandy. The fact is that shorebirds make nests in burrows (the length can reach one and a half meters). They hunt in large flocks.

Shorebirds hatch chicks once a year. The number of eggs in one clutch rarely exceeds four. The offspring appears in two weeks, and after another year they become independent and leave the nest.

Reproduction of swallows

The body structure of swallows is ideal for existence in the air, but makes the birds clumsy on the ground. They rarely sit on the ground and do not feel very confident - it is difficult to walk on small paws. Therefore, swallows spend almost all their time in the air. Perhaps that is why they live so little.

As mentioned earlier, birds prefer to roost and hunt in flocks. But they are monogamous. The couple usually spends their entire lives together. Sometimes males who have not found a female join already established families. They hatch eggs and care for chicks.

The mating season begins with the onset of warmth, at the beginning of summer. Males attract females by chirping loudly. They show off their plumage, fluffing up their tail. Both parents build a nest from clay, grass and down. They also take care of the chicks together.

Shore swallows build their nests along the banks of rivers, small rivers and water canals. Urban dwellers (and their number, as a result of the expansion of human cities, has become greater than coastal ones) build their dwellings under roofs on the walls of buildings, houses, structures, and bridges. There has even been a recorded case of a nest being built on a ferry, which constantly moves along the rivers.

Swallows choose for a nest a section of a wall that is covered either by a roof, or a canopy, or the relief of a building. This way the nest is protected from the top from bad weather. The nest itself, if it is not destroyed by people, the swallows do not abandon, but breed in it for several years. The nest is further strengthened or completed with a swallow, if required. Often several nests are located nearby, because swallows live in groups of families; dozens of nests can be located nearby in one place.

Semicircle nest These birds are made from pieces of earth and pebbles and fixed to the wall with the help of their sticky saliva. An entrance remains on the side-top, and inside the bottom and walls are lined with grass, wool, down and other soft materials that will be found. Both the female and the male build the nest. They grab wet dirt, pieces of earth, clay and attach it to the wall. The birds do this one by one while the male collects construction material, the female is near the unfinished nest and guards it. Then the birds change places, in order of rotation. Birds do this to prevent sparrows from entering the nest. Sparrows are competitors and love to take over a swallow's nest.

The nest building process continues for two weeks. This is due to forced breaks in construction. Having stuck on some of the earth, the swallows leave the structure for a day or two, letting it dry. If this is not done, the damp ground may collapse and the whole work will have to start all over again.

Usually offspring appear twice per season. Hatching of eggs (4-7 in a clutch) lasts about two weeks. Newly hatched, helpless chicks demand constant attention and feeding. Sometimes parents have to fly out of the nest for food up to 300 times a day.

After three weeks, the chicks become independent and leave the nest. After a year they reach sexual maturity and start their own families. It is noteworthy that young individuals produce fewer young than older ones.

Swallows are very friendly and are not afraid to build nests near human habitation. However, they are not adapted to life in captivity. Even a chick that has not learned to fly will struggle to escape from a person’s hands.

Nutrition

The main dish is flying insects. The bird grabs them in the air at a height of 15-20 meters above the ground. When it rains, swallows do not go hunting, but wait. Birds try not to fly far from the nest while searching for food. All work to catch flies, bugs and other insects is usually carried out within a radius of up to 500 meters from the nesting site.

Insects included in the diet: grasshoppers, flies, butterflies, cicadas, moths, horse flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and sometimes spiders. Wasps and bees are not included in the diet, because they are poisonous to birds.

Swallow's enemies

The main enemy is the hobby falcon. This bird of prey hunts swallows. His flight speed is the same or even higher, so he has the ability to attack. Other birds of prey are often simply unable to catch up with a swallow in flight due to its high speed. The falcon lies in wait for her on the banks of the reservoir when the swallow collects building material for the nest.

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 either pair discovers appropriate 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, in 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, body size and weight. The body length can vary from 6 to 24 cm, and the total weight ranges from 10 to 65 grams. All appearance These birds indicate 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 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 it's on the street bad weather, the food may not be enough and then the incubation period extends 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.

A real pleasure is to watch their rapid fluttering, the process of building a house, and how the hungry chicks then poke out of there. The name funnel does not mean that these swallows live only in cities; in rural areas they feel no worse.

Where do swallow birds live, flight features

City swallows, in turn, are divided into European (inhabit all of Europe, North America, Asia west of the Yenisei) and Siberian, which live in Siberia, China and Mongolia.

European representatives of funnel birds fly to Africa south of the Sahara Desert for the winter; Siberian birds fly to the very south of China, to the foothills of the Himalayas.

The barn swallow lives in the same geographical areas (you will not find them only in Australia and Antarctica); winters in South America, in the very south of Asia, in Indonesia.

They fly during the day!

Swallows migrate in spring only during the day; they reach last year's nesting site when leaves begin to appear on the trees and the snow has melted.

Swallows stray from their course or deviate from it extremely rarely: several times scientists discovered in the Alpine mountains entire flocks of dead birds that lost their bearings and died from cold and continuous snow.

Description of the bird

Narrow wings, a neat streamlined body, a “forked” tail, a dark gray body with a white belly - this is what the funnel looks like.

The city swallow's beak is a short triangle; the legs are thin and weak; these birds have difficulty standing on a flat surface. But the claws are curved and tenacious, so the swallow can easily catch on a small ledge or a recess in the wall.

The killer whale swallow also looks almost the same, only its body is almost black, with a blue tint, and its belly is light beige. They are smaller than urban ones: if funnels sometimes weigh up to 60 grams, then village ones rarely weigh more than 20 grams.

Arrival for the summer, building a nest, breeding offspring

Migrant With the onset of warm weather, huge flocks rush from their wintering grounds to the nest built last year. If a person destroys a nest and this place swallow family will not fly again, they will still try to settle down nearby.

Is it true, Lately Because of human vandalism, swallows change their centuries-old habit and may dislike the city or village in which two-legged barbarians destroy most of their homes...

Funnel swallows create a married couple during migration and for the rest of their short life; they have a lot of enemies in the wild, people also often kill swallows, therefore, sadly, most of them live 2-3 years.

They build their nest strictly under some kind of canopy: this is a cornice, a molding, a wide projection of the wall. They prefer stone or brick houses, and only if there are none nearby, they build nests on wooden ones (but still always in a place with a “visor”).

Swallow photo in the nest

Nesting habits

A funnel nest is built using lumps of earth, any dirt, and gluing it together with saliva. The constructed swallow's nest is so neat and perfect in appearance that it is hard to believe what the original material was like.

Vortex birds are not entirely monogamous birds: males, having made their companion happy with the prospect of laying eggs, often visit another female.

Already with the onset of warmth (in the European part of Russia this is usually the end of May), eggs appear in the nest, which are hatched by the mother. Until the chicks appear, only the father carries food, then both parents continuously fly in the air, getting food.

Funnel laying.

Chicks can hatch two or three times and begin laying new eggs as soon as the chicks leave the nest.

But killer whales, although they are not afraid of people, settle mainly in rural areas away from people. These are coastal cliffs, stone caves, abandoned barns and other uninhabited buildings. The main thing is that there is water and a lot of insects nearby. Killer whales live in huge colonies, and, like funnels, they spend almost all their time in the air.

Killer whales are also not entirely monogamous: males can “walk” their chicks with another female; There are also cases when a “widower” lives with a pair of swallows, helping to build a nest, bringing food and even hatching chicks.

What do swallows eat?

Only flying insects are the food of swallows; if it rains for a long time and swallows cannot fly, then they will not eat caterpillars, larvae and seeds, which is very dangerous for their life in bad weather.

If the weather turns bad and it will rain soon, the insects tend to be closer to the ground, and the swallow comes down after them; This is how the sign arose that low flying swallows mean rain.

Bird swallows catch large insects (flies, dragonflies, butterflies) “one by one”, and swallow small midges in large quantities, opening their beak towards the air flow.

The benefits of swallows for humans are enormous: they catch those insects that other birds almost never hunt, namely mosquitoes and flies.

Video about feeding swallow chicks that have fallen out of the nest.

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.

Where does the swallow live?

The city swallow is found throughout all European countries(except in the north of 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 beyond settlements 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.

Feeds close to water, on open areas, rich in herbaceous vegetation: lawns, fields and pastures.

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.

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.

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 conditions wildlife 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.

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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