Swallow | Hainault Forest

Swallow

Hirundo rustica

TQ4792 29/07/2018 ©Raymond Small

Swallows are summer visitors. They fly fast and low over with beaks open to catch insects while on the wing.

TQ4792 29/07/2018 ©Raymond Small

TQ49 05/08/2025 ©Rachel Kail

Swallows build nests in sheltered locations. The nests made with a mixture of mud, saliva and straw, can sometimes be found under eaves, in garden sheds, and other outbuildings. Nests are lined with feathers for comfort and warmth. There is usually 4 or 5 eggs in a clutch.

TQ49 04/06/2025 ©Debi H

Both parents feed the chicks regurgitated insects. Chicks typically leave the nest roughly 18-23 days after hatching. Under the watchful eye of their supportive parents it may take the chicks up to two hours to get airborne once they have left the nest. The parents fly alongside the chicks until they are able to go it alone unsupervised.

These young Swallows fledged on 6th August. After fledging, swallows normally return to the nest for a few weeks before leaving for good. Once the young birds become independent they join other swallows in flocks. During autumn they begin a hazardous flight to South Africa where they will spend winter, braving stormy weather and possible starvation on the way.

Species