Why did the town swallow so rarely began to meet us?

Many people know how the city swallow is called in medieval literature . People called it a funnel. The size of a city swallow is about a sparrow. But her pure-white nadhvoste and abdomen, a black back with a bluish tint, a tail with a pretty cutout, covered legs and feathers legs are so attractive that people are always very affectionate towards this bird.

The city swallow flies quickly, adroitly catching the insects that come in the way. Despite the weak and inexpressive voice, she is very sociable. Calls to himself nestlings with short murmuring sounds like "chirr-chirr" or "trick-trick". He loves not only the neighbors-birds, but also people. When a nice family of swallows watches you while sitting on the wall of your house, it becomes so warm on the soul, and a quiet joy fills the heart.

Since people began to live in large settlements, the city swallow began to accompany them through life. Birds wore nests under the roofs of houses, skillfully attaching them to the steep walls. This was regarded by the tenants as a good sign from above. God-fearing people in the old days treated them as a guard for the home and family.

City swallow is a wonderful harbinger of rain and bad weather. True, today their number has significantly decreased. This is due to the fact that swallows are finding it increasingly difficult to find food and clay and fibers necessary for the construction of nests. Within the cities there are practically no puddles, where they draw building materials. Today they are being driven out of the cornices of their houses, taking care of the cleanliness of the facade.

How beautiful and elegant in flight the city swallow, the photo, located here, reflects very accurately. At first she often-often wings her wings, and then freezes and stays in the air for a long time, remaining motionless. Then the bird gracefully descends on a tree to rest or, catching prey, tenaciously fastens its body to the steep wall at the nest, where the big-nosed chicks await dinner.

The city swallow builds its nests outside the house. But her village cousin knows exactly how to get into the small window in the roof of the building and arrange a house in the attic. During one summer season the family takes out two or three generations of chicks. Her young offspring away from their parents' homes do not fly away, but form group friendly settlements near each other. Each female lays in a nest from three to five eggs, white, but with small red dots. The first clutch is done in late spring.

Nowadays, when towns and villages became unfriendly to city swallows, and because of the spraying of fields, orchards and even forest tracts with pesticides, there was little food in them, this species of birds is still found in abandoned quarries in water-filled quarries filled with water. In some Western European cities, groups of people are trying to protect such birds. For this purpose, on high masts people install artificial nests and bird houses on several families. Next to them organize continuous fountains, the bottom of which is filled with clay and wool and vegetable fibers.