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
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
