At the Project:
Books, videos, CDs, and the web all help if you want to learn about wild birds, but at
some point you need to get out and see your subjects first hand.  And now is your
chance.  Your first swallows have arrived!  Photo below from Smelter Mountain.


















It's early spring.  Temperatures may sometimes drop below freezing, but in spite of
this Tree Swallows have begun migrating north, and as they reached their breeding
range and spread out some have discovered the nest boxes you put up for them.  












So now it's time to start getting to know your birds.

Put on warm clothes, boots, hat and gloves, since there may still be snow on the
ground (see below).  Bring an old folding chair, (but if the ground is soft you'll end up
standing).  Binocs may help if this is your first real meeting with Tree Swallows.  You
probably won't need them later on.















Go in the morning when Tree Swallows are most apt to visit and explore potential
nest sites.  Early season afternoons they usually spend feeding elsewhere.

Sit where you can watch boxes with swallow activity.  Their behavior centers on the
boxes because these boxes and their contents will be the most important things in
the swallows' lives for the next ten weeks.  Watch for awhile, then move to another
box and watch some more.  And while you observe ask yourself why in the world
these birds have arrived so early in the year.

Concepts:
Where did these Tree Swallows spend the winter months?
  • Many Tree Swallows winter in warm part of the southern U.S., especially
    Florida and Louisiana.  Others winter even farther south in Mexico, Central
    America and the Caribbean islands.

What's the advantage of wintering in the south for Tree Swallows?
  • Tree Swallows' primary food is flying insects.
  • Flying insects are usually unavailable during northern winters, so Tree Swallows
    concentrate at buggy southern wetlands in winter, sometimes in huge flocks.  
  • Unfortunately, many wetlands on the wintering grounds have been lost or
    degraded by development, agriculture and aquaculture.
  • Tree Swallows also eat certain types of berries on their southward migration
    and especially in winter, and these particular berries aren't found at most of
    the swallows' northern nesting grounds.

But why do Tree Swallows return to the breeding grounds so very early?  Isn't this
dangerous?  After all, the north isn't very buggy in March and April.
  • The swallows return early, risking death from starvation and hypothermia, for
    one reason, to try to get nest sites so they can have a chance to reproduce.  
    The next 80-90 days of their lives will center on nest sites and their contents.
  • Tree Swallows unlucky enough to be caught by early-spring cold weather find
    themselves in a struggle to stay alive.  Photo below by Rich Rehrig.


















  • Note how the desperate swallows in Colin Haigh's photo below have huddled
    together to conserve body heat.  Some have actually perched on the backs of
    others!  They have also fluffed up their feathers to trap more air underneath,
    which increases its insulation value.

















  • Another form of huddling to conserve heat is "communal roosting", in which a
    group of birds crowds into a cavity or nest box overnight.  This behavior
    probably saves the lives of many Tree Swallows each year, but in spite of these
    efforts birds weakened by days with little heat or food may die.  
  • Be warned.  You may find dead adult Tree Swallows inside your boxes in
    spring, killed during cold snaps.  The seven barely recognizable swallows below
    were removed from a single box.













So, what do your newly arrived Tree Swallows look like?  Check for these features:
  • Dark head and upper body, usually, but not always, iridescent blue-green.
  • Pure white throat and underbody.
  • Wings long, dark and pointed.
  • Tail short, dark and notched.
  • Head somewhat flattish with short neck.
  • Eyes dark and hard to see.
  • Bill short and small.
  • Feet small and legs very short.
  • Slender, streamlined, overall appearance.

No animal is good at everything.  There's a saying that "form follows function".  So
what do you think Tree Swallow bodies are specialized for?

How do they fly?
  • Fast or slow?
  • Agile or awkward?
  • Turn a lot or fly in straight lines?

How do they move on the ground?
  • Walk or hop?
  • Move easily or awkwardly?
  • Did you even see one on the ground?

Are Tree Swallows specialized for life in the air or on the ground?  Where do you
think they find most of their food?
  • Tree Swallows are extremely skilled, highly-maneuverable fliers that spend
    many hours in the air every day.  
  • Books often mention their tendency to glide in circles, but like all other North
    American swallows they can also soar, kite, hover, power dive, dash, or fly
    slow, as the situation demands.
  • Tree Swallows feed by catching flying insects in their mouths.
  • They may land on the ground to sun, get nest material, or find certain foods,
    but they usually perch above-ground.

Why do the swallows let you watch them so closely?
  • They are such good fliers they know escape from you is easy.
  • They may not view you as something dangerous at all.













Seeing Tree Swallow behavior up close lets you perfect observation skills.
Get used to asking yourself:
  • What's each behavior's purpose?  How does it help Tree Swallows survive or
    raise young?
  • What stimulates a behavior?  What causes it to occur?
  • Does a behavior's frequency change during the nesting season, and if so, why?
  • Do males and females behave alike or differently, and why?

Question for the next Topic:  Songbird Behavior.
  • What are some characteristics of songbird behavior?









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Spring Return
Learn About Birds at Tree Swallow Nest Box Projects