Monday, July 25, 2016

American Cliff Swallow (Hirundo Pyrrhonota) and Why They are Neo-tropical Migrants.


http://what-when-how.com/birds/american-cliff-swallow-birds/


Introduction:
I worked on the river at a camping/ floating place for a few summers and I noticed these birds gathering on the cliffs and bridges near the campground. It didn’t take too long to figure out what type of bird it was. I had to find out what type of bird the swarm and loud noises was coming from. I have chosen to do my blog over the American cliff swallow because it is a neo-tropical bird and is very popular among our area. They can be very annoying but they do have a purpose as they prey on many insects including harmful mosquitoes and mites. I did not know that they were neo-tropical until I did some research on this bird.


About the swallow:

The cliff swallow is one of the most popular birds that we see in Oklahoma and around our area. It comes from the kingdom: Animailia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Genus & Species: Hirundo Pyrrhonota, and Family: Hirundinidae . They are best known for making their nests underneath bridges and on river bluffs in Oklahoma. Their nests looks like a small shaped mud mound with a small hole in the middle.      

                   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_cliff_swallow

They arrive in North America for breeding throughout March to May. The cliff swallow is a very socially active bird and can reach speeds of up to 30 mph. They make their nest out of mud and mixtures of clay like substances. They don’t have a special habitat because as long as they have access to mud, water, food, and a place they like to build their nest they will be fine. Most of the time they will come back to the nest from the previous year and build on it depending on the circumstances.  They come in swarms and they mostly eat insects. They communicate and let out a loud squeak when they find a discovery of insects to inform the others. Their menu consist of 84 different insect families from 10 orders. It chooses to hunt in high altitudes but adapts and changes it hunting pattern depending on the weather. When it is hard to see and is colder it hunts just above the ground, or above the water surface. It is known to hunt alone if in this condition. They are also very caring with each other as they never have problems sharing their food.  When food starts to get scarce then they head toward south America.



How to identify:

The bird can be identified in flight by it long pointed wings and its square like tail. Or on the sides of bridges and river bluffs! The bill of this bird is short and triangular and it opens it wide as it can to swarm on insects to catch as many as possible in one swarm. The swallow mostly relies on its hearing and sight mainly to find food and for communication. The feet of the swallow does not get used often at all because it spends most of its time in the air. Because of this it can cling really well to tiny wire and twigs. They weigh between 0.7 and 1.0 ounces and our about 5.5 inches in length. The wingspan of this bird is around 12 inches.


                 http://www.birdzilla.com/birds/cliffswallow/description.html


Breeding:

Their breeding season ranges from April to August. They arrive for breeding usually around May. The female swallow incubates the 4-5 eggs for up to 16 days; after hatching, the chicks are able to fly by 24 days, but still rely on their parents for food. The babies will reach full sexual maturity at the age of 1 year.


Why they choose Oklahoma and other parts of North America?

These birds mainly travel to find food. The shortage of insects is the biggest reason these birds migrate, not the cold weather. Our insect population goes down drastically during the winter months so the swallow has to find food elsewhere. Biologists once believed that these birds came from the Northern hemisphere and were pushed south with the presence of winter. However, most now believe that they were first in the tropics and then moved north during the summer to take advantage of the high insect population of our summer. The longer day and weather allows for rapid plant growth, which makes the insect population swarm to high numbers. This abundance draws the tropical birds north. . http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/neotropical.htm

Migration pattern:
Migration will begin for these birds in early February, just before the spring weather. They will begin traveling up the eastern slopes of the Andes and the start on the gulf into Mexico and then split in two groups. The western population will travel up the pacific coast area and the eastern birds will make their way to the Mississippi valley area. May and April is the months they come into our area. http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail_migration.asp?recnum=BD0250
     http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/detail_migration.asp?recnum=BD0250



Conclusion:

The American Cliff Swallow is a very popular bird that most, but not all may know about. These creatures are a songbird that does take home for a few months out of the year in Oklahoma. They have many cool aspects to the way they live and how they survive.  They are a songbird that has a strong pact behavior and shows compassion to each other. They are not a large bird but because of their pact instinct they can drive away other dangerous birds and animals. The American cliff swallow is just one of the neo-tropical birds in Oklahoma and they all have a unique life that makes them different. From what I have learned about the cliff swallow is that they help out our area when they are here. They may cause some troubles for construction workers and buildings, but they also eat many insects that cause harm to us and many of our crops.


References:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cliff_Swallow/id
http://what-when-how.com/birds/american-cliff-swallow-birds/
http://birds-lifestyle.blogspot.com/2013/02/american-cliff-swallow.html
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7482.html
http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/Photos/Hiking/Birds/BirdPages/CliffSwallow.htm
http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/cliff-swallow

Brown, C. R., Brown, M. B., & Roche, E. A. (2013). Fluctuating viability selection on morphology of cliff swallows is driven by climate. Journal Of Evolutionary Biology, 26(5), 1129-1142. doi:10.1111/jeb.12130



Brown, C. R. (2010). How Cliff Swallows Choose Where to Live. Phi Kappa Phi Forum, 90(1), 4-7.


Brown, C. R., Brazeal, K. R., Strickler, S. A., & Brown, M. B. (2006). Feather mites are positively associated with daily survival in cliff swallows. Canadian Journal Of Zoology, 84(9), 1307-1314. doi:10.1139/Z06-110












Wednesday, July 6, 2016

My name is Corey Cowan and this is my first experience with blog. Good luck to everybody this summer!