barn swallow The most widely spread member of the swallow family, it flies worldwide, breeding generally in the Northern Hemisphere and wintering in much of the Southern Hemisphere.
Their migration qualifies them to fly long distances.
People often encourage these handsome insect-eating birds to nest nearby. The barn swallow thus avoids the general state of today’s severe bird decline. Estimates indicate a modest cumulative decline of about 25 percent over the past 55 years.
While barn swallows once lived almost entirely in caves, They love man-made structures. Like the purple swallow Leave the door or window of your garage or shed open. Swallows in the barn may move in. Place their muddy nests and grass cups on shelves or any vertical surface. whichever provides the best protection for raising a family.
more than:Here’s what you should know about bluejays in your backyard.
Because it’s not easy to access inside the barn, shed or garage. They then choose locations such as under eaves or bridges, docks, and drains.
While some people find nests in a barn to be offensive on a porch or hallway. The increasing clutter becomes distasteful to the people coming in and out of the house. Most residents welcome the birds because large insects are their preferred food. Barn Swallows love all kinds of flies. It likes beetles, bees, wasps, ants, moths and other flying insects. Most have wings, however, they seem to prefer large insects over small swarms.
What a wonderful natural pest control!
Their favorite food also determines their famous graceful and graceful flight. as they dart and dive after the flying insects
Usually they fly low. Sometimes just a few inches above ground or water. Certainly the best position for preying on low-flying insects.
Although the barn swallow never came to the feeder. (They don’t eat seeds or pangolins.) But they usually find gravel and small pebbles. So one way to attract a swaying, cobalt blue-backed acrobat is to sprinkle crushed oyster shells or baked crushed eggshells on a hard surface like a concrete driveway. Scientists believe that birds’ regular consumption of gravel serves two purposes. Most of them have a strong exoskeleton. and secondly provide essential calcium to their diet Especially for females who lay eggs.
We have swallows to thank for another reason. Sadly, during the Victorian era A pillbox maker creates a pillbox hat from a large number of feathers. which sometimes is a whole bird Like a barn swallow trade that threatens the population especially many kinds of birds including egrets women don’t know Raising an expensive hat is a matter of status and grace, which is, of course, a practice now considered despicable.
more than:Love the birds in your house? Here are four things to avoid to keep yourself healthy.
However, some conservative women were outraged by the killing. and violently protested Their actions resulted in legal protection. Including the 1918 International Migratory Bird Treaty law today, more than 100 years later, the law continues to protect birds. not only in the United States but also in Canada, Mexico, Japan and Russia.
This same chaos also prompted naturalist George Grinnell to write a now-famous editorial published in “Forest and Stream” magazine in 1886 condemning the practice. His work led to the founding of the first chapter of what became the National Audubon Society.
For more information about birds and bird habitats Please see Sharon’s book. Sorenson’s How Birds Behave, Birds in the Yard Month by Month, and Planting Native to Attract Birds to Your Yard. Follow daily bird activity on Facebook at SharonSorensonBirdLady. or email her at [email protected]