Barn Swallow

: The Elegant Aerial Acrobat

H2: Basic Description

The Barn Swallow, scientific name Hirundo rustica, is a small bird species that belongs to the swallow family. They are found commonly in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. These birds have distinctive features such as long forked tails and steel-blue plumage on their back with buff-colored underparts.

Barn Swallows are known for their aerial acrobatics as they fly low over fields and water with rapid wing beats. Their wingspan can reach up to 13 inches or 33 centimeters long.

H2: Where To Find This Bird

Barn Swallows prefer to live near open habitats like fields, meadows, agricultural areas, wetlands or any place where there’s ample supply of insects. Apart from that they also nest near human habitations like barns or bridges.

These birds often migrate from northern breeding grounds down south during winters searching for warmer climates usually between August through October.

H2: Habitat

Although Barn Swallows’ preferred habitat includes open land with nearby water sources containing abundant insect prey but they’re very adaptable creatures that can adjust to a variety of environments such as urban areas including parks or even suburban gardens.

They build nests using mud pellets which stick onto man-made structures like bridges, buildings or cliffs which offer protection from predators especially during nesting season when both parents work together tirelessly feeding their chicks who hatch after approximately two weeks of incubation period.

H2: Food

Barn swallows primarily feed on flying insects including beetles, flies and wasps among others which are caught mid-air while performing aerial manoeuvres making them an important contributor towards pest control in many regions around the world.

During winter months they switch to consuming berries instead since flying insects become harder to find due to weather changes across different regions globally leading them towards alternate food sources available at the time being available nearby.

H2: Cool Facts

Barn Swallows fly almost non-stop for up to 12 hours a day during migrations covering over 200 miles per day on their journey. They can even sleep while flying which is known as “power nap” allowing them to conserve energy especially during long distance flights.

Apart from that, their aerial acrobatics are a sight to behold as they perform gravity-defying stunts like dipping, diving and soaring at high speeds which make them one of the most fascinating natural wonders on earth.