Swallow-Cat: description and photo

Well-known to many village swallows among the people is often called the killer whale. These little birds in humans are associated with warmth, young greenery and a gentle sun. Swallow-killer whale in Christianity is a symbol of resurrection. According to the clergy, this tiny bird was trying to dump the crown of thorns from the head of Christ.

In many countries, the symbol of hope and kindness are village swallows. Orcas in 1999 by the Union of Bird Protection of our country were chosen as the talisman of the year. With these cute birds, there are a lot of folk admirers and different beliefs. One of them says that the one who ruined the nest of the swallow is waiting for bad luck, misfortune and all sorts of misfortunes.

Another belief says that if swallows under the roof of your house have built their nest, it means that it is insured against fires. If the swallows flew from the south early - the year will certainly be happy.

Subspecies

Among the swallows living in European territory, the most common are two types: rural and urban. Their main difference is that the swallow living in the city builds a nest outside the buildings, and several pairs can build their houses nearby.

The village swallow prefers to move away from the relatives, its nests are usually located inside the buildings. Urban swallow in flight makes more frequent flaps of wings, and while it flies a lot.

origin of name

Many beginner ornithologists are interested in the killer whale. Why is this small bird called that? Its second name swallow was due to long and thin steering feathers. They are called "braids". By the same principle, one more bird - killer whale, has received its name.

External Features

The killer whale is much smaller than the sparrow - its body is only fifteen centimeters long, and its weight does not exceed twenty grams. The upper part of the bird's body is black, the plumage has a weak metallic luster. Lower feathers are white-pink or pale-beige. The neck and forehead are reddish-brown. The tip of the tail is bifurcated and it is completed by two narrow and long extreme feathers (braids).

Between males and females, there are practically no sex differences, except that the mowing sprouts are somewhat longer in males. Young birds have a more pale color, and they do not have braids.

Vote

Swallow-killer, the photo of which you can see in this article, has a rather sonorous and loud voice. Singing of males is heard before departure for the winter and during the autumn migration. Singing their songs males, sitting on wires or in the air. Ornithologists singled out several peaks of increasing intensity of singing. As a rule, they coincide with the laying of eggs in two cycles of reproduction and during the collection of autumn flocks. At this time, the swallow's song, apparently, is a voice signal that unites broods and flock members.

Especially beautiful village swallows (killer whales) in the quiet and warm twilight. At this time they are particularly lively. The song is sung by the whole group in a song. It is only, at first glance, the continued chirping of these birds seems vague and continuous. In fact, the killer whale performs a song consisting of clear periods. Each of them ends with a short and dry crack. Then comes a short, thin whistle - and the bird starts a new song.

Periodically the flock flies away as if on command, but after a while, returns to the same place in small groups to rest, clean feathers, sing their sonorous songs, and then again fly up into the sky. Such ups are accompanied by alarming sounds - "tki". During nesting, the same sound can be heard when parents are restless at the nest.

Habitat

These glorious birds live on almost all continents, except for only Antarctica. Village swallows are migratory birds. Every year they go for wintering in warm regions, and then return to their places of permanent residence.

Swallow-Catcher: Nesting

These birds nest in rural areas of Northern Europe and North America, the Middle East and Asia, Japan and North Africa, as well as Southern China. Winter is the killer whale in Indonesia, Micronesia, South Asia. Usually, they nest in places with enough feed. Another prerequisite is the availability of a water source.

Most often they build nests in various economic buildings: in attics, in baths, in barns, under sheds.

Reproduction

Swallows-katatki are monogamous, monogamous birds. Married couples are formed in the spring, after returning from wintering. Annually couples are formed in a new way, however, it is not uncommon for cases when, after a successful brood, they remain cohabiting for several years.

Males attract females, spreading their tail and making crumbly trills. Males who have remained without a couple, often join the formed "family" and stay with them throughout the season. Although they do not feed the chicks, they take an active part in the construction and protection of the nest, which has the shape of a bowl. Birds build it from wet clay and soft grass. Usually it is attached under a stone or a canopy.

Offspring

The mating season lasts from May to the end of August. Both parents build a nest for future offspring. For a season there are usually two broods. The female lays in the first laying from four to seven eggs, in the second - from three to six. Eggs of white color with brownish, purple or gray spots. Both parents incubate the masonry.

The incubation period lasts about fifteen days. The chicks hatch completely naked and helpless. Parents feed their babies up to 400 times a day, and before giving the chick an insect, swallows roll it into a tight ball. The offspring are in the nest for twenty days. After this period, young birds must learn how to fly.

In late September, you can observe the massive flight of chicks. Young birds that have become independent form large flocks and fly in search of food along the shores of lakes and marshes, river meadows. In September, in separate flocks, the number of swallows increases to a thousand, and sometimes more. At this time, the flight to the wintering grounds begins.

Food

Swallow-catcher feed catches in the air. Flying over open spaces or over a forest, near populated areas, sometimes - around grazing animals, these birds catch different insects. Sometimes they manage to grab insects sitting on the walls of buildings or from grass, very rarely they collect food from the ground.

Since the swallow feeds literally on the fly, there is an opinion that on the behavior of these birds can be judged on what kind of weather is expected in the near future. However, this is not quite true. Village swallows catch insects, always flying at low altitude. This swifts and city swallows hunt at a high altitude, and by the evening, when the insects fly off, they sink lower. In any case, the behavior of swallows can not be judged as the approach of rain.

Saving a View

Swallows-killers are birds that spend most of their life in the air. That's why birds are very dependent on climatic conditions. With prolonged bad weather, they die in huge quantities. For example, ornithologists are well aware of such a case that occurred in Switzerland (1974). Then hundreds of thousands of swallows died because of the absence for a long time of flying weather.

Not indifferent inhabitants of the country tried in every possible way to save the birds - they collected half-alive birds and transported them to warm Mediterranean countries. Unfortunately, the village swallows die not only because of bad weather. In Italy they are allowed to hunt.

Undoubtedly, the global economic activity of a man affects negatively the size of the species. Swallow country, as one can judge from its name, does not tolerate concrete and asphalt. Reducing green areas, rivers and ponds leads to a decrease in the number of these birds. And this process is catastrophically fast.

In many European countries, to attract swallows, preserving the species in special containers, pour clay, earth and manure so that the birds do not lack a building material for nests.

Interesting Facts

• More recently, thanks to the ringing of birds, official confirmation was received that the swallows, spending the summer in Central Europe, fly to South Africa for wintering.
• During wintering in Africa swallows eat not only those insects they catch in flight, but also ants.
• If the chicks of the swallows from the last masonry have not yet learned to fly by the time of departure for the winter, the parents stay with them until they can fly away together.