Swallows Return to Nest

BirdNote^® 

Swallows Return to Nest Boxes

Written by Bob Sundstrom

This is BirdNote!

[sounds of Tree Swallows]

Each spring, eight species of swallows wing north from the tropics to nest in North America. The fleet and graceful flight of swallows livens up the sky like no other birds. [sounds of Purple Martins]

Two of the eight species, Tree Swallows and Purple Martins, are especially dependent on man-made nest boxes. Tree Swallows nest over much of the continent, while Purple Martins are most prevalent east of the Rockies. The elegant, streamlined Tree Swallow measures just under six inches in length, but has a nearly 15-inch wingspan. Male Tree Swallows show deep, shiny blue above and gleaming white below. [brief song from Tree Swallow]

Purple Martins, on the other hand, are the largest swallows on the continent, 8 inches long with an 18-inch wingspan. [brief song of Purple Martin] Male martins are unmistakable – glossy blue black all over, while the females are more grayish. 

Tree Swallows favor nest boxes at fence-post height, while most Purple Martin nest boxes – which are often designed to house multiple pairs – are set 10 to 15 feet above ground. So put up nest boxes at your place and invite these beautiful, swift birds to be your summer companions. [sounds of Tree Swallows]

Thanks for listening to BirdNote. I’m Mary McCann. [sounds of Purple Martins]

BirdNote gives you the sounds of birds every day – and you get the sights as well when you follow us on Instagram: @BirdNoteRadio. 

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Bird sounds provided by the Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Tree Swallow [40786] recorded by G.F. Budney; Purple Martin [109261] recorded by G.A. Keller. Ambient drawn from Tree Swallow track. 
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2015 Tune In to Nature.org May 2017/2021 Narrator: Mary McCann

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