The Swallow
Swallows belong to the family hirundinidae.
The Swallow is a great indicator of seasonal change, arriving on our shores with the advent of spring and typically departing as the nights draw in, following the autumn equinox. It's perhaps our most welcomed migrant, one viewed with overwhelming affection as glorious precursor to summer. Swallows are eaily recognised with their slender bodies, long pointed wings and forked tails; martins tend to have much less deeply forked tails. While the deeply forked tails may help their manoeuverability in pursuing aerial insects, in many species they are also used as a signal of male quality, those who can grow longer, and importantly symmetrical, streamers being the most favoured by the females.
The Swallow belongs to an extensive family of birds, the Hirundinidae, comprising both the swallows and martins. Officially our swallow is known as the 'Barn Swallow', a necessary in order to differentiate it from a variety of family members present in mainland Europe and Africa.
As with many migrants, climatic conditions play a huge part in Swallow survival, largely owing to the effects on the emerging insects upon which they are reliant. Changing climate is, however, also playing a role in increasing the vast size of the Sahara Desert, expanding an obstacle that's already formidable. Unusually, Swallows undertake migration by day, finding food on route, though the perilous nature of the journey means many will not make it. They face a staggering variety of hazards, just some of which range from starvation to drought, exhaustion to predation, object collision to pollution, violent weather to hunting. Though commonplace, migration is fraught with danger.