Swallow
- The barn swallow catches prey in flight and feeds its young while flying. Its diet consists of 99% flying insects.
- The barn swallow is genetically polygamous despite monogamy. Among them, forming another pair is usually common.
Age
European swallows typically live for two to four years, although the maximum recorded lifespan is nine years, with a theoretical lifespan ranging from eleven years and two months to sixteen years; the age at which they reach sexual maturity ranges from nine months and one week to one year and three months. The embryo develops inside an egg, and the young bird’s eyes open between five and six days of age. The nestling stage involves the young being fed insects by its parents and lasts from two weeks and four days to three weeks and one day. Following this, the species enters a period of rapid growth, lasting from one to three months, where the young bird learns to fly and hunt independently. The adult stage, during which the swallow is capable of reproduction and long-distance migrations, lasts from one to eleven years.
Phenotype
The young swallow has a short yellow beak with a wide mouth and is covered in grey down; after a period of rapid growth, the species exhibits a forked tail with short outer feathers. Adult barn swallows possess a short black beak adapted for catching insects in flight, and their plumage displays a dark blue upper body and wings with a metallic sheen, a reddish-brown forehead and throat, and a white belly. The adult’s tail is deeply forked with very long external feathers resembling ribbons, while the species has long and pointed wings enabling swift and agile flight.
Physiology
European swallows measure from 15 to 19 centimeters in body length and weigh from 20 to 27.1 grams; their wingspan reaches 32 centimeters. The embryo stage has a body mass ranging from 1.5 to 2.2 grams. During the nestling stage, the young have a body mass from 2 to 18 grams and a body length from 5 to 12 centimeters. The fast-growing juvenile stage exhibits a body mass from 15 to 19 grams and a body length from 14 to 17 centimeters. Adult swallows weigh from 16 to 24 grams and measure from 15 to 19 centimeters in body length.
Habitat
European swallows inhabit land and terrestrial forests, reaching elevations of up to 2.5 kilometers above sea level. The species occupies temperate mixed forests with warm summers exceeding 25 to 30 degrees Celsius, flooded meadows with abundant grass, and taiga characterized by cold winters and coniferous trees such as spruce and pine. The climate includes very hot summers, consistently high humidity with frequent rainfall, snowy winters, and summers that range from warm to very hot, sometimes accompanied by frequent rains.
Shelter
European swallows are found under eaves of houses, in sheds, and under bridges. The species constructs or utilizes a nest as a shelter for laying eggs and raising young. Nests are made from mud, grass, and feathers.
Geography
European swallows are found in the Afrotropical realm, the Nearctic realm, and the Palearctic realm. The species occupies Celtic broadleaf forests, broadleaf forests of Western Europe, coniferous forests of the Qilian Mountains, low-lying forests of the Eastern Great Lakes, Balkan mixed forests, and Baltic mixed forests.
Feeding
The European swallow is entirely insectivorous, catching prey in flight with its wide open beak through an active hunting strategy; the species feeds on flies, mosquitoes, midges, small butterflies, dragonflies, butterflies, and insects. The diet includes mosquitoes, diptera, butterflies, beetles, dragonflies, and Hymenoptera. Daily food consumption ranges from 8 grams to 20 grams.
Reproduction
The village swallow reproduces by laying eggs, which are incubated by both parents. Embryonic development takes 1 week 3 days, and the clutch size is 4–6 chicks. The male and female together build a nest from wet earth, and after hatching, the parents jointly feed the fledglings. An individual reaches maturity at an age of 11 months to 1 year 1 month. The breeding interval is from 1 month 1 week to 1 month 3 weeks, which allows the species to regularly produce offspring numbering 4–6 individuals.