As soon as they can, they begin courtship and breeding. They build a loosely made nest from grass lined with mud, often on a high beam. Here, the female lays her clutch of smooth and glossy eggs — between three to eight of them — which are coloured white with reddish speckling. For the next two weeks or more, the female incubates the eggs while the male collects tiny insects to feed her all day long. The chicks are born after days and are naked apart from a thin coat of down and blind.
They are also hungry. From now on, both the parents spend every daylight hour going back and forth to the nest to feed their ever-growing brood. After 10 days or so, the nest is beginning to get a bit cramped; by day 20 it is positively overcrowded. Finally, though, encouraged by calling from both adults, they leap into the unknown — literally, as this is their first experience of flight.
Having experienced this unfamiliar mode of transport, they land awkwardly on a barn beam, roof or telegraph wire, where they pose unsteadily before mum or dad arrives with some welcome food. But they must soon learn to fend for themselves, for swallows usually have two — and in good summers, three — broods, so the parents will soon have a new family to feed.
Young swallows are most vulnerable in these first few days away from the nest. Hobbies — acrobatic falcons that look like a giant swift — patrol the airspace above, diving down to pursue a potential victim.
They may in turn be chased off by the adults, whose gentle twittering turns into a frantic alarm call when any predator is around. Find out more about breeding swallows and their migration patterns.
Swallows are summer visitors to the UK. They start to arrive here from Africa in April. By early June most swallows have started breeding and by July, the first brood of young has usually left the nest and flown away. The parents will normally then go on to raise a second brood, sometimes even a third. By early September, most swallows are preparing to migrate.
They flutter about restlessly, and often gather on telegraph wires. Most leave the UK during September, with early broods of youngsters being the first to go. But a few stragglers may hang around into October. The return journey to Africa takes about six weeks. Swallows from different parts of Europe fly to different destinations. Who to contact if you spot an injured or baby bird Read more advice about what to do if you find a bird that needs help.
How green are you? See some of the ways you can get into green living. Marshside This fantastic wetland site is located north of Southport town centre and has some of the best wildlife in the region. Lytchett Fields The reserve has seen more than thirty species of wading birds. Arne Heathland home to more than species. Get out, get busy and get wild! Fun factoids for all the family Find out more about the nature and wildlife outside your window.
The journey swallows make European swallows spend the winter in Africa south of the Sahara, in Arabia and in the Indian sub-continent. Share this page Facebook Facebook Created with Sketch. They nest in the UK in the summer, but as they only feed on aerial insects the majority of which are large flies, such as horseflies and bluebottles , their food source starts to run out in the autumn. Faced with the prospect of little or no food, they start to head south during September and October.
They cover approximately miles a day, generally at about 20mph — the maximum flight speed recorded was a whopping 35mph. In addition to their epic journey, swallows also run the risk of starvation, exhaustion and must cope with extreme weather.
Although they fatten up before they leave it is difficult for them to avoid the hazards they will encounter on route. Therefore, swallow populations do fluctuate year on year.
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