While on vacation in Northern Arizona last month, I was fortunate to see many Barn Swallows flying about.
Barn Swallow in Europe - Attribution: I,Malene
Even as a child, I always loved the beautiful streamers that they had at the end at the end of their tails.
Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica) are a migratory bird and are found in most areas of the United States. Before European settlers came here, Barn Swallows made their homes in caves. However, once homes went up, they decided that the eaves of a house made a better location for a home.
Barn Swallow Nest
Their nests can also be found in other areas similar to eaves such as underneath bridges and even inside of buildings.
The coloring of the Barn Swallow is a beautiful combination of golden-orange chest, reddish-brown throat and their entire upper body consisting of blue. There is a slight difference between the Barn Swallows found in Europe (pictured above) and those that are located in the United States. Those from Europe have a white chest while those in North America have a golden-orange colored belly (below). The female have the same coloring as the male, but the colors are more muted. Their tail is deeply forked and their mature size is approximately 7″ in length. The longer a male’s tail, the more attractive he is to females.
Barn Swallow in North America
A swallow’s nest is very distinctive and is made up of a mixture of mud and grass that forms a ‘cup’. The male selects the nesting site and then proceeds to attract a mate. The nest is built by both the male and female and is attached to buildings or other structures with an overhang. It can take more then 1,000 trips to bring enough mud and grass to make a single nest.
The male and female mate for life raise 1 – 2 broods a year and lay 4 – 6 eggs each time.
Their diet consists of insects such as beetles, mosquitoes and flies. Barn Swallows catch insects in the air. They also eat berries and seeds occasionally.
Have you ever seen a Barn Swallow’s distinctive nest? Please tell us where you saw it.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I rented a house in Tulsa that had a nest under a portico by the front door. The swallows returned there every year and reused the nest. We would usually use the garage for entry during their nesting time to reduce disturbing them. Cute to see five babies crammed in there. My inside cat loved to sit by the window and chatter at them.
My Mom’s house was the favorite of a flock of barn swallows. They came back every year to raise their young. But after a few years, with the babies coming back too, she had to put a stop to the multiple nests they were building around her house. We’d go around the house every night to sweep down the mud they put up. She still has some that keep coming back and she still has to make sure that the new group moves on at the year of the end. Love their warbling at the end of the day! We have purple martins where I live now.
we have barn swallows nest in our barn on top of our goat stall…
they dont mind the goat at all
We have a pair of barn swallows that build on a narrow ledge created by a horizontal support beam in our barn. The nest is tucked just inches below the loft floor and faces inward so it’s very well protected from the weather and any predators. They build in exactly the same spot every year.
We built our home in the Texas Hill Country about seven years ago and have been blessed with the returning families of swallows. Yes, they make a mess but the chirp of the babies is so precious. The moms and dads are quite a study. We love to watch them taking turns feeding the babies. They have built nests, strategically, in the same places and added a few, like the outdoor fan and the flood light. The nests are tucked in very tight spaces where the hawks and vulchers can’t see them as well. It is the end of August and they have just left. We will miss them, but not the poop on our porches and the windows. It’s time to call out the window cleaners
A small price to pay for the privledge of watching God’s Creation. We are also down to just a few hummers now, too.