Since early colonial agriculture times in this country, the Barn Swallow has been a welcome visitor to barnyards because it eats so many unwanted, crop-destroying insects such as beetles, flies, wasps, crawling ants, moths and spiders.
At a speed of over 74 miles per hour, while skimming over ponds, lakes and rivers, the Barn Swallow is well known for collecting the insects in a compressed ball in its mouth and delivering them to its young in a nest attached to a beam under a barn roof, as illustrated in my drawing.
Since colonial times, the agricultural population grew many times over in the next two centuries, as did the swallow numbers breeding and raising another generation several times each season until genetically reaching a total number of 190,000,000 as the largest swallow population on this continent.
The Barn Swallow then needed more than barns for reproduction that has today grown to include bridge foundations, roofs of outdoor arenas, suburban park structures, railroad and auto bypasses and any other man-made construction.
The Barn Swallow is the only American Swallow with buffy to cinnamon-colored underparts, underwing linings accentuated by pointed wings and deeply forked tail.
Skimming over a water surface, it subsequently scoops down to get a drink of water or takes a bath while dunking in a bed of wet leaves along the shore. It is the most widely ranging swallow in the world, serenading both continents with a worldwide musical anthem of “chit, chit, or wit-wit” with a universal liquid overtone of notes in the tune.
Evaluating the beneficial inspiration of having Barn Swallows feeding in your neighborhood backyard will tell you they do not come naturally to regular bird feeders but will be attracted to a generous spreading of oyster or eggshells.
It will also help to attract them with a shelter open building keeping an open door or window for ease of coming and going. However, it is just as important to have a standing water source quite nearby for making nests out of mud with hundreds of beaks loads to complete construction.
Having a fully operational swallow nest quite nearby could be a highly educational bird-watching experience for your children with the natural phenomena of reproduction several times in the next coming season. They may be grateful for my literary observation and illustration of Barn Swallows in motion that I have tried to create before their very eyes.
By George B. Emmons