Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

The Barn Swallow is a graceful and captivating bird. It effortlessly glides through the skies with an
elegance that seems almost choreographed, painting the sky with their striking aerial displays.

Habitat

Look for Barn Swallows across North America in summer. They like open areas, both over land and over water that have human structures nearby, such as wetlands like marshes. Winter takes them to Central and South America.

You can find Barn Swallows at Oak Hammock Marsh!

Food

Swallows feed on insects that they catch in the air while flying.

Behaviour

Barn Swallow nests are a half-cup shape made of mud mixed with grass that are attached to vertical
surfaces sheltered from the rain. Historically this was the inside of caves, but they have adapted to almost exclusively use the walls of buildings and the underside of bridges. The mud of their unique nests is
collected beakful by beakful at puddles and the edges of ponds, rivers, lakes. Three to seven eggs are laid and they may raise two or three broods during the nesting season. Catching insects to eat while flying, they will also skim the water to drink and wash too.

Conservation

In the days of small family farms dotting the landscape, Barn Swallows earned their name earnestly. They would fill the eves of barns with nests and line telephone lines from end to end. But since the mid-1960s there has been a 25% decline in their numbers due to the modern agricultural landscape, insect
population declines, and a rise in weather changes like cold-snaps.

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