Five facts you need to know about swallows

Swallows will begin heading south soon away from Scotland and come the start of October will have left us for another year. To celebrate these quintessentially summer birds while they’re still here RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett brings your five facts you need to know about them.

Five facts you need to know about swallows

1. Their autumn migration takes six weeks

Swallows get away from Scotland before the cold weather sets in to spend our winter months in Africa. This autumn migration will take six weeks and involves crossing the Sahara Desert! Come spring when they are heading north their journey is slightly shorter at four weeks.

2. They are low flyers

Swallows keep low when they are flying about catching prey. You might have seen them on summer evenings darting about just a few inches above grassy areas in parks snapping up the insects lit up by the setting sun. They can also often be found following tractors and combine harvesters around fields making use of the disturbance the machines cause to the insects to have a feast.

3. Baby swallows have big appetites

One brood of young swallows needs to eat 6,000 flies a day to survive! Swallows tend to have two broods a summer – that’s a lot of flies needed.

4. Nests get reused

Swallows build their nests from mud lined with grass and feathers. If a nest survives from one summer to the next it will very likely be reused. Some nests are known to have been continuously occupied each summer for up to 15 years, with one even recorded as being in use for 48 years!

5. Gliding across the skies

Along with sand martins and house martins swallows are one of the smallest species of birds to incorporate gliding into their flight. Yet, the impression they give of being speedy flyers is a bit of an illusion as they are actually quite slow. Keep an eye out for them while you can over the next few weeks before they start their long journey back to Africa.