The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), is a bird belonging to the Passeriformes order that groups most of the species in the world, which are commonly called birds or songbirds due to their vocalizations they normally emit to communicate. They belong to the genus Hirundo, which includes animals native to the Old World with the exception of the barn swallow, which now has a cosmopolitan distribution, for which it inhabits America, Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.
Among other characteristics, this bird has a peculiar way of building its nests, a topic we will talk about next. Keep reading this article on our site and find out if swallow nests are protected.
Overview of Swallows
The Barn Swallow is a small bird, reaching about 20 cm and can have a wingspan of up to almost 35 cm. Regarding the weight, it varies between 17 and 20 gr The color is a combination of bluish black, brown and beige. Although males and females are similar, the former exhibit a more striking coloration, as well as a longer tail. The symmetry of the tail and wings has been identified as a selection trait, so that females tend to choose males that have these structures with the greatest symmetry, leaving males with asymmetric traits with less chance of mating. Although the latter, they can eventually associate with a reproductive couple, becoming assistant species for the elaboration and defense of the nest, as well as for incubation and rearing, and can finally reproduce with the female.
Both females and males participate in the incubation of the eggs and the care of the newborns, although the former offer greater dedication to breeding tasks. These birds breed between May and August, laying between 2 to 7 eggs.
They are gregarious animals, it is common to see them in groups on buildings and electrical or telephone cables. They also nest in a communal way, although with a distance between each other, because as for their nests, they are quite territorial. They have completely migratory habits,the populations of Europe winter in the south or west of the continent, but most move to Africa. Those from Asia do so in the south of the region, while those from North America go to the south of the continent.
What are swallow nests made of?
Swallows build quite elaborate nests with a peculiar cup or half-cup shape [1] They are madeMainly clay, which both males and females carry on multiple trips to the place they have chosen to make it. Additionally, they use dry grass and even algae and long feathers to cover the mud base.
Swallows have adapted the construction of their nests to structures built by humans. Previously, they did it on cliffs and rocky sites, but now they use spaces such as stables, bridges and even boat areas that give them a rigid space from which to fix this structure. Water is an important resource, so they nest near it.
As we have mentioned, the Barn Swallow is territorial with its nest. However, in the presence of certain predators such as birds of prey, it remains subdued, despite having an agile and fast flight. But, these birds have developed in some regions a mutualistic relationship with ospreys, which feed exclusively on fish. The swallows then try to develop their nests under this bird of prey, so that it will defend the area from any other birds that come near. For their part, the former will warn with their vocalization if they detect any nearby danger.
In this way, swallow nests are generally protected,on the one hand because they are built in places that are not easily accessible to predators and on the other by the protection mentioned in the previous lines, provided by the ospreys.
Do the swallows return to the same nest?
It has been determined that swallows eventually return to the same nest, using it on at least two consecutive occasions [2] But given the quality of these structures, with some simple repairs they can even be used for much longer.
The species tends to be monogamous, but can also copulate with other partners. If a pair of swallows manages to have reproductive success, they tend to stay together for several years, producing several generations of offspring. When the return of migration occurs, if any member of the already established pair does not return, it is common for new pairs to form to continue reproducing.
Being a migratory species, some do not manage to return to their original habitat, so often the nests, being stable constructions, can be used by other pairs of swallows and even by birds from other species.
Can swallow nests be removed?
Swallow nests are made with a lot of effort, since they move with their small beaks the necessary mud needed to build the nest, in addition to the rest of the materials.
Because of the aforementioned, if the nests are located in areas that do not cause any problem, we should not remove the nests of the swallows, in order to offer them the opportunity to reuse them in the next reproductive seasons.
However, the faeces of these birds may contain salmonella, which would imply he alth problems, for example for farm animals and for the people. In this sense, if the nests have been built in spaces that can be affected by the droppings of the swallows, then they must be removed so that they can nest in other areas, thus avoiding the generation of diseases.
The Barn Swallow is listed as Least Concern. However, its population trend is declining. There are two main causes for this fact:
- Intense changes in agriculture: affect the availability of insects in these ecosystems, which are the specific food of this bird. So the use of insecticides, for example, drastically reduces their existence.
- Bird quite susceptible to climate change: climate variations affect both the places where it winters and where it breeds, having a negative impact in the species.
