Barn Swallow —Ross Feldner

You will usually see Barn Swallows foraging for flying insects in open areas near farm buildings, bridges, and other open-structure buildings, as well as over water. Their nests are built in a cup shape using mud and are attached to a rough-wooded beam or concrete structure. While they once built their nests in caves and cliffs, they have adopted human-built structures such as barns, hence the name Barn Swallow.

They provide a valuable eco-service by the vast numbers of flying insects they eat. Extremely agile flyers, they catch these insects, mostly flies, wasps and flying beetles, on the wing. Not using pesticides around your property can help swallows, other insectivores and the environment!

Barn Swallows are long-distant migrants who spend their winter in parts of Central and South America, and have been found as far south as Argentina,
a trip of about 5,500 miles. Many Barn Swallows have developed a mutually beneficial relationship with Ospreys. Ospreys offer protection while Barn Swallows alert them to predators.