Looking nice summer evening on the wall of the house, in shadows, in the dark it is background in the rays of the setting sun you can see a host of small flying insects. This is the most that neither is plankton an air of “ocean” that serves as food to many other inhabitants of the environment.
Among the birds, which eat pesky insects, and there are swallows. These birds quite a few have succeeded in hunting flying insects, but absolutely lost the skills of gathering, which could feed them at any time. Thus, prolonged rains and long periods of cold weather, for signs be a total disaster, and at this time they do not fly nearly. Bird bravely endured the hunger, and their Chicks are also staunchly deprivation. Here rescue reserves in prosperous periods swallows quickly accumulate fat. Prey only in flight.
Swallows are excellent fliers, and use their skills to feed and attract a mate. Some species, like the mangrove swallow, are territorial, whereas others are simply defending their nesting area. In General, males choose a place for nests, and then attract a female using song and shapes in flight, and (depending on the species) guard their territory. The size of the territory varies depending on the species; the colonial nesting species it tends to be small, but can be much larger for single nests.
Outside the breeding season some species may form large flocks, and may spread in the community. This, presumably, provides protection from predators. Non-social species do not form flocks, but recently, the Chicks may remain with their parents for some time after the breeding season. If a person is too close to the territory of the birds, they will attack the perimeter of the nest. Colonial species can attack the crowd at people who get too close to it.
For the ability to withstand hunger for a long time had to pay a large duration of development of nestlings, and hence greater probability of encounter with a predator. So, the swallows began to withdraw their offspring in remote places – is good to us acquaintances stucco nests, which can be seen under the roofs of houses, ravines and cliffs.
Nests of different birds
The material of the nest of a swallow is raw clay soil, which birds are delivered to the construction site in its beak.
The main thing you need to do is to look for future nest a cozy place in the shade, because the sun swallows nest dries quickly and can crumble.
- The red-rumped swallow makes a nest out of mud. It is neatly divided along the “jug” with a long neck. To build this kind of nest the bird requires 10-12 days. These swallows arrive in pairs or in groups of three to five couples. In this case, the socket can touch the bottoms, but the inputs look in different directions.
- Swallows city often settle numerous colonies of hundreds of nests. Many of them are so close to each other that the walls of dwellings adjoin. To live in a big unsafe, so the owners of the nests constantly have to protect their homes from attacks of predators. Two city swallows making a nest for 8-10 days, and made it about 1000 lumps of mud brought from a nearby pond. Birds stop periodically to allow the construction to dry and harden. Inside the nest the swallows make the lining of down, feathers and wool. Interestingly, the city swallows the clutch incubates and the male, both partners often sit in the nest at the same time. In many colonies the parents are constantly watching the offspring.
- Settle thousands of sand Martin colonies in the cliffs, where dig nesting burrows length is 30-150cm. Nora is in the living space with a diameter of about 15cm, height – 7cm. if possible, the bird chooses on the cliff the upper layers of the soil.
- Barn swallows love to gnedovets under the roof. When doors or house Windows are often left open, birds can settle in the hallway, on the porch and even in the empty room. During the construction of the nests of these birds add to the mud, roots, grass and thin stems, todaysee structures strength.
Messengers of spring
That many birds return to their homes in the spring, we learn in school. Birds in small flocks, and the first heralds of spring are the finches.
If for this bird to come close, you can see her magical beauty:
- The feathers are cast different colours – brown, red, green, blue, red.
- On the head “cap” of blue color.
- The distance of the Chaffinch can be distinguished by the white bands on the back and wings.
For finches blackbirds follow, and in Central Russia – rooks. One of the return home of the Robin, Redstart and Bluethroat – birds with bright plumage.
Birds tend their old nests. No exception here and the swallows that arrive in the month of April. Russian people have always loved and revered them. Many signs are connected with these birds. For example, low-flying swallows indicate approaching rain. Its nest, these birds tend to be protected until next spring. This little bird also has a small head, thin and short legs. Males from females can be distinguished by color, but to the naked eye this difference is usually imperceptible. Mostly swallows are in the air, they stride awkwardly.
Singing
Swallows can produce many different sounds. Their singing can talk about the excitement, the desire to communicate with his fellow, the intention to love, to serve alarm.
Songs of the males associated with the body condition of the bird and are presumably used by females to judge the physical condition and suitability for mating of males. Chicks squeak when asking for food from parents.
Nests under the ridge of the house. Unwanted neighbors
Most often, the swallows can be seen in the settlements or in open spaces above the water. In towns and cities is more common whale, which is called the barn swallow, as well as the craters – “city signs”. These birds can bring people a lot of trouble, so build nests under the roofs or canopies along the eaves.
For nest-building swallow the desired vertical surface. Construction material – dirt – bird takes in the puddles. Rolled into balls dirt bird brings in its beak for building a nest. Holds balls with saliva.
To give the construction strength of the swallow can be used to strengthen:
- straw;
- stems;
- hair.
The nest is built on instinct, on the same principle. In unfamiliar conditions the swallow is lost and can not build a nest, that is, can’t do that when there is no vertical surface.
One of the most suitable nesting sites are to the wall along the eaves, under the skates and roofs, also birds like to live under the bridge supports.
Swallow seeks to find a place comfortable for the flight and at the same time located under the roof. The canopy protects the house from the dirt from rain, and provides additional protection to the Chicks.
In the cities of swallows like to live, because there’s a lot of food. The day birds consume thousands of mosquitoes, flies and midges.
Popular belief States that if the wall came the swallow’s nest – it is fortunately. But not everyone agrees to tolerate such neighborhood, that’s why the birds are driven. But not so easy to scare the bird from the selected location, because the choice dictates it to her instinct.
Russian naturalist V. A. Wagner outweighed the nest for a short distance in the eyes of the parent birds. However, swallows a long time trying to find your home in the same place, and were even ready to give food to the other birds. The scientist came to the conclusion that the swallows matter where the nest is more important than even the house and even their own Chicks!
Thus, the simple destruction of the nest does not get to the birds will make the old place a new house. To scare them, only making the wall slippery, so that the clods could not gain a foothold.
