“by Lisa Myers
letsgobirding.com
Developing open space often negatively impacts wildlife,
but for the Cliff Swallow this was not the case! Because
of their preference for building nests on vertical surfaces
like cliffs, this swallow has benefited by suburbia, as it now
utilizes man-made structures like bridges and buildings.
In fact, there are more Cliff Swallows today than when the
pioneers settled the west.
Cliff Swallows are usually found near water as they use
mud to build their nests. They take this mud in their mouth
to their nest location. It is here that they build a tubular shaped
nest and fill it with feathers and grass. Often the swallows will
build their nests in large colonies. One colony consisted of
over 3,700 nests!
Both parents help incubate the 4 – 6 eggs. After only two weeks the eggs hatch. If you find a nest colony you can easily watch the parents entering and leaving the nests. Chicks can also be seen at the opening of the nests as they impatiently wait for their next meal. With nests so close together it is believed that parent birds recognize their chicks by voice. After three weeks the chicks leave the nest and soon learn to catch bugs for themselves.
As the name implies, swallows gather their food by swallowing-up bugs and insects. They do this food gathering on the wing as Cliff Swallows have strong jaws and are able to snatch food right out of the air and lock it in their mouth.
Because a large part of their diet consists of insects, swallows follow the warm temperatures throughout the year. Let’s face it, they need to live where the bugs are! During the spring and summer months Cliff Swallows can be found throughout much of North America . In the fall these birds migrate to South America where they’ll spend the winter, but they’ll be back! It only takes them a few days to make the journey. Some folks believe Cliff Swallows are so precise that they return on the same date each spring. In San Juan Capistrano, CA. they believe the swallows return to nest at the Mission on the 19 th of March every year. That belief is not quite true as the swallows react to a food source and migrate accordingly. In Medieval times they believed swallows hibernated in the mud and flew back out each spring.
The truth of the matter is that Cliff Swallows are a migratory bird species thus protecting it and its nesting activities from hunting and destruction. If a person is caught removing a nest they can be arrested. If there is some need to remove Cliff Swallows from an area, special permits must be issued. If Cliff Swallows do like an area that you prefer they not colonize it is recommended that you construct barriers during the winter before the birds return.
There are 90 different species of swallows in the world and we can find 9 different species in North America . In the San Francisco Bay Area we are fortunate to be able to find up to 5 different species of swallows during a spring/summer bird walk! All are quick flying, beautiful birds around 5 inches long. The Cliff Swallow has a white brow which helps to distingbuish it from our other swallows. Many times they are flying high above us as we go about our day. Who needs pesticides when you have these little buddies in your neighborhood – they are nature’s organic bug zapper!
Both Cliff Swallow pictures were provided by Tom Grey. The Cliff Swallow pictured above is gathering mud for its nest.
