Barn Swallow

NEST: Mud nest plastered on beams and walls in old barns and other
outbuildings and under bridges. Straw or horsehair are incorporated into the nest, which is lined with feathers.

EGGS: Usually 4-5, white with brown and lilac spots, .8" long.

INCUBATION: 13-17 days

FLEDGE: 18-23 days

HABITAT: Farmland, marshes, widespread in open country.

DISTRIBUTION: Cosmopolitan species, found on all continents except Antarctica

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

• Open a door or window in suitable outbuildings.
• Provide artificial nest cups in structures lacking rough surfaces. If an outbuilding is not available, place nest cups outside, under the eaves of a garage or shed. Be sure the nest will be well protected from sun and rain.
• Provide a mud tray near the nesting site and keep the mud wet during nest building.
• Offer ground egg shells in a jar lid feeder on a post.
• During unusually cold wet weather, offer small insects in a feeder placed in the swallows' flight path inside the building. Normally there is absolutely no need to offer supplemental food to swallows or any other species.
• Avoid using pesticides on your garden and lawn: rely on birds and beneficial insects instead.
• Do not knock down nests after the swallows leave. They will be reused the following year.

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