Swallows, people a productive match
Birds eat insects, and humans create structures for nesting
Barn Swallows are a common bird that summer throughout much of North America including New Mexico. They winter in Central and South America.
They can be found at sea level and up to 10,000 feet in elevation. This swallow, which averages about 7 inches long, has a cobalt-blue back, a light-orange breast with a cinnamon-colored throat and a distinctive forked tail. The barn swallow is the only swallow in New Mexico that has a forked tail.
Barn swallows are agile, graceful fliers. They prefer open habitat such as parks, meadows, river banks and even busy intersections in urban areas. That’s because they eat on the wing, which means they hunt their prey and eat while in flight. Their diet consists mainly of flies, wasps, moths and other flying insects that they snag in midair.
They are capable of flying just inches above the ground and as high as 100 feet. Human activity does seem to have a direct connection to how barn swallows feed. Cars moving through intersections or people and pets walking through a park will force insects up in the air, making them easier to grab for the swallows. My sister experienced this feeding behavior when she walked her dog in an Albuquerque soccer field. As her dog ran through the field, barn swallows appeared and flew just above the dog, darting after the airborne insects. Her dog and the swallows seemed to enjoy this daily
ritual.
Barn swallows previously nested primarily in caves throughout North America, but with more human habitation they now build their nests almost entirely on man-made structures, such as barn rafters, under porch eaves and on light fixtures. Swallows use mud mixed with grasses and feathers to build their nests. Nesting barn swallows on a front porch light fixture can be messy, but the number of insects these birds eat far outweighs any inconvenience.
In the 19th century and early 20th century, this swallow was widely hunted for use in the hat making trade. Naturalist George Bird Grinnell’s 1886 article in a popular magazine criticizing this waste of bird life helped lead to the founding of the Audubon Society.
Thanks to Mr. Grinnell and the US conservation movement, the Barn Swallow is the most numerous swallow in the world with a population of around 120 million. Mary Schmauss is the owner of Wild Birds Unlimited in Albuquerque. A lifelong birder and author of For the Birds: A Month-byMonth Guide to Attracting Birds to your Backyard.