Cliff Swallow

Cliff  Swallow Photo by: Stephen Turner

The Cliff Swallow has an orange rump and throat. The head and upperparts are blue. The belly and forehead are white. The bill is tiny and the tail is squared.  Swallows are the size of sparrows and belong to the Purple Martin family.

Together male and female swallows build their nests, incubate the eggs and take turns to feed their babies. The nests are built close to buildings, bridges and other structures. The nets are gourd-shaped and are made to be used for several years. They use mud, hair, grass and feathers to build their nests. Sometimes they lay their eggs in another swallow’s nests. They spend most of their time flying high to catch insects, and when they are not catching insects they are collecting mud for their nests.

Cliff Swallow Nests Photo by: Jeff Mitton

Their breeding season is between March and June. They lay 1 to 6 eggs that are pink or white in color and have dark brown marks.
Their eggs hatch in 15 or 16 days. If their nest is destroyed or their eggs are damaged the Cliff Swallows will rebuild their nests.

Cliff Swallow Eggs Photo by: G. K. Peck

They spend most of their time flying looking for food. They eat small insects such as flies, beetles, mosquitoes, spiders, midges, and leafhoppers.

Cliff Swallows are migratory birds, traveling to places where there are insects in abundance. During winter time they migrate to South America to countries such as Chile, Argentina and Brazil. In the spring and summer they migrate back to North America. They can be seen traveling from Mexico to Canada.

An interesting thing that I found out about Cliff Swallows that impressed me, was that the male and female stay together in every moment of their lives. The male and the female swallows build their nest, incubate their eggs, feed their babies and raise them together. They are different from other birds because most birds such as the American Robin do everything separate from each other. The female builds the nests and incubate the eggs while the male flies around. The only  thing that they do together is take turns to feed their babies.

The pictures below were taking from the internet and proves that the Cliff Swallows are unique birds and that they are good companions. They stay side by side even when one of them is dying.

A story of two swallows during a crisis.

This female Swallow was hit by a passing vehicle. She was injured and was dying.

This male Swallow was seen bringing food and showing affection for her.

She died. He tried everything to keep her with him. He tried to move her to a safe place and was unable to move her.

He was sad. He didn't know what to do so he yelled for her to wake up.

He cried for her to wake up. She wouldn't wake up.

Finally realizing she has died. He stood by her side.

These pictures prove that swallows do have feelings. He was sad and upset because his companion passed away.