Swallows, Martins, and Swifts... (oh my!)

It is mid July, and already I am noticing that a lot of my favorite song birds are missing. I have to keep reminding myself that they really don't live here, they're just passing through.

I've been noticing quite a few swallows, swifts, and martins. So I've done a little research on this summer trio. Believe it or not, these three species of birds give us a lot to be thankful for. They eat the majority of those nasty little mosquitos as they fly through the air, making us wish there were more of them so we could watch and see just how graceful they really are. Unfortunately, most species of swallows that migrate regularly, don't stay very long in any one area...even though their human hosts wish they would! Two of the most popular swallows that reside in the United States are the Barn Swallow, and the Tree Swallow. Tree swallows can be more elusive than their barn dwelling counterparts mainly due to the fact that it is very hard to pinpoint their nests. During this reading, we're concentrating mainly on the Barn Swallow.

Barn Swallows

This is the only swallow that is known to have the true swallow-type, forked tale. Ranging around 6-7 ½" long, they are a shiny dark blue in color with white spots and a rusty cinnamon color on the underside of the body.

The Barn swallow winters in Costa Rica, on down to Argentina, Africa, and south Asia. Barn swallows return year after year to the same well-engineered house or nest that they originally built. They build their nests of mud, hair, and grass. It's a cone shaped dwelling with thick walls (approx. 1"). Usually, the opening at the top of the nest is located near the ceiling of the wall that is used as a base for the mud bottom of the nest. They reside in pairs, sometimes forming small communities, and work together for the protection of their young and their nests. This species flies very close to the ground. There is little gliding and a lot of wing-flapping. It is not unusual to see Barn swallows displaying amazing courage as they bomb-dive cats, dogs, and other animals that come too close to their dwellings. My little dog has had his share of attacks!

Actually, there are about seventy-five species of swallows in the world today. They tend to have slim bodies that are almost streamlined in appearance. They all tend to have long wings that are pointed, and beaks that are able to gape open; an asset to their ability to feed on insects while in flight.

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