Swallow chicks: features of growth and development

All known swallows find their place for habitation wherever there is food and open space. They inhabit meadows, fields, steppes, river valleys. It is often possible to see these birds in the city, in close proximity to human habitation. Where these birds settle, it is easy to see their nests in the form of a bowl. Often happens so that the swallow chicks fall out of the nest. This happens much more often than other birds.

Almost all the time adults spend in flight, getting food for themselves and their offspring. Hunting takes place in the air, small insects are prey. In view of this, adult swallows have strong, well-developed wings. The open mouth is aimed at flies and other insects. When they are enough, the bird returns to the nest and feeds the contents of the beak to its offspring. The average clutch is 4 to 6 eggs. If all of them survive, and chicks of swallows will grow up healthy, then we can assume that they are very lucky. After 18 days after the clutch, the offspring hatch. If the conditions for life are favorable, food and water in abundance, then during the summer these birds can nest two or even three times. The swallow's chick, the photo of which is presented above, is born blind, with a big yellow mouth, which is constantly demanded to put a portion of food. Parents diligently take care, struggling to warm and feed the foolish kids. The female during the first week warms her cubs with her warmth, flying out for a short time for food. At this time, it is replaced by a male.

However, not always swallow chicks survive. It happens that for some reason the baby is on the ground. In this case, do not take it in your hands and try to return to the nest. According to zoologists, the chicks of swallows that have fallen out of their house are weak or sick individuals, possibly discarded by their parents. In doing so, adult birds give the chance to grow and strengthen the remaining individuals. When asked how many chicks of a swallow survive to puberty from a single masonry, it is difficult to answer.

It is a mistake to think that the children fall out because they do not know how to fly. For several weeks, parents live with grown-up offspring, accompanying them during the flight, and the cubs even during this period habitually continue to beg for food. However very soon they adapt to adulthood and begin to stray into new schools. The length of the grown-up bird is from 18 to 20 cm, the wingspan is 33 cm, the weight is very tiny - no more than 20 grams. The life of these elegant birds is short - no more than 4 years, but there were long-livers, whose age was 16 years!

Well-being of swallows depends not only on the amount of food, but also on weather conditions. As these birds also drink on the fly, then in the hot dry summer there is a mass death. Fate also threatens life. In non-flying weather, birds hide in their nests, dooming to hunger death of their chicks. There were cases when people helped the unfortunate and transported swallows to warmer areas. According to the research of biologists, now the amount of this species is sharply reduced due to unfavorable natural conditions, urbanization, climatic cataclysms. In addition, in some countries, for example, in Italy, hunting for swallows is permitted.