Why do swallows like to keep their nests on cliffs?

The landlord is talking about the swallows in the caves in Guizhou, Yunnan, and the swallows from Southeast Asia, in fact, they are not really the swallows we are talking about, but a bird called swifts. The swifts in Yunnan are called white-rumped swifts, and the bird's nests are called swiftlets, which are natural climbing birds, have strong flight ability, and do not need to stand on trees and wires or land on the ground for many years. Tall cliff caves are suitable for them.

But in recent years, things have changed, and the white-rumped swifts have begun to move to human houses, and they have taken advantage of the nests of real swallows for their own use, especially the nests of golden-rumped swifts, which have made it difficult to find golden-rumped swifts in some places. Some of the swiftlets from bird's nests in Southeast Asia have also left the Tianshan Cave and flocked to the artificial swiftlet houses.

At least for why they love caves. There should be several reasons for this:1

In ancient times, humans may have lived in huts when their distant ancestors lived in caves2Because their nests are made of saliva mixed with some hair, the nest takes a long time, and the old hole naturally has an old nest to use to save time3The caves are generally tall, the air is fresh, and the surrounding area is full of mountains and other foods, which is suitable for the swifts' own characteristics and living habits.

Swallows build their nests under human roofs with the following considerations:

With the help of human protection, there are fewer natural predators. It is true that animals are afraid of people, but swallows are agile and not easy to catch, which is why they are willing to take risks;

The walls and eaves are suitable for the structure of the swallow's nest, and similar suitable terrain in the field is limited;

There are many flying insects in human activity areas, and lights and farmland can attract insects, which is the main reason why swallows like to live with people.

The swallow is a beneficial bird, which is very common in rural areas, and many children know that the swallow is a beneficial bird when they are young, so they like it very much. When swallows live in the countryside, they will also choose a family to make their nests. The swallow is a migratory animal that travels south every winter to spend the winter and returns to its original location in the second year.

However, if the swallow's nest falls off during this period, or is damaged, and is artificially built, the swallow will not live. <>

The swallow's nest is made of mud, and when the mud is dry, or when the weight inside the bird's nest is too heavy, the mud may fall down, and it is also very easy to fall when it encounters water. But when the bird's nest is damaged, it is best not to intervene artificially, when the swallow finds that its nest is damaged, it will repair it by itself. The swallow's nest is not only a resting place, but also used to hatch eggs, but also to hatch baby swallows, when their nest is damaged, if it is caused by natural factors, the swallows will try their best to repair it.

But if it is punctured by human factors, the swallow will feel that the place is not safe, so even if it is repaired artificially, the swallow will not come back. <>

Therefore, when the swallow's nest is damaged, it is better for humans not to interfere with the nest that can be repaired, and the swallow will take care of it itself. Swallows are not fragile animals, and when their nests are damaged, they will also fend for themselves. But if the swallow's nest falls and is interfered with, the swallow will know that it is not what he wants, and it is not suitable for his own habitation, and he can also realize that it is very unsafe here, so he will build his nest in another place.

People living in rural areas who want swallows to nest in their homes should provide a suitable environment, and it is best not to have tiles on the walls. You can install some wooden planks or stakes on the wall to make it easier for swallows to build their nests. Because the number of swallows has been decreasing year by year in recent years, it is not easy to build a nest.

It will not live, because the swallows will mend themselves, and artificial mending is not appropriate for them.

If the swallow's nest falls down, and people build it later, then the swallow will not live again, and the swallow's personal vigilance is very strong, and they will not live again if they do not build their own nest.

It will not be cooked, because the swallow's nest generally leaves the smell of swallows, and the bird's nest built artificially will leave the smell of people, and swallows dare not live.

Swallows are beneficial birds, and this is something that children in the countryside know. Every year after spring, the swallows that fly south for the winter will fly back. Generally, the swallow nest under the eaves will basically be the same nest of swallows before.

Swallows are such spiritual animals, even if they have flown thousands of kilometers, they can still find their home accurately. And the first thing the swallows that fly back is to repair their houses. Take a look around, if there are cracks, or if some of them have fallen, they will be repaired in time.

So if a part of the swallow's nest falls off and it is artificially built, will it live?

In the past, the house in my hometown, because it was a red brick house, was neither painted nor tiled, so the swallows often nested under the eaves, and at most there were three nests of swallows under the beams, and when they woke up every morning, they were chattering, very lively. At that time, there was also a trouble, that is, swallows often pooped by the nest, and it was difficult to clean it when it fell on the ground, and it was still every day. But the adults say that the swallow is a spiritual bird, and that it will bring good luck to whoever it goes to build a nest in.

Because there is a saying among the people that "swallows don't enter the bitter cold door".

So I listened to the words of the adults and didn't drive the swallow away, but once the little swallow fell and sent it in. In order to prevent the swallow's droppings from falling on the ground, two nails were stared at under its nest, and then a wooden board was placed, but after all, the swallow's nest was made of mud, and sometimes mud still fell down, especially when it encountered water, and it was very common for it to fall.

Once, there was a nest of swallows under the eaves of my house, I don't know what the reason was, so a large piece of mud fell down, and the whole nest was like a big hole. At that time, I was also thinking about whether to repair the swallow's nest, but my father stopped me and said that the swallows would repair it themselves. And so it was, and within a few days the swallows were mending their nests.

In fact, the swallow's nest is not only a place for swallows to rest at night, but also used to lay eggs and hatch young swallows. When their nests are damaged, if they can be repaired due to natural causes, they will repair them in time. And if it is the external environment, for example, someone destroys it, it means that the place is not safe, and even if it can be repaired, they will not continue to settle here.

Therefore, when the swallow's nest falls, we humans don't need to interfere, we humans can repair it and we will do it ourselves, and swallows are such self-reliant animals. On the contrary, if you interfere with the nest so that the nest is repaired, they will not come back to the wolf. After all, this kind of swallow nest is not what they want, and it is not suitable for them to live in, and it also makes the swallows realize that it is no longer safe here, so they will choose to nest in other places.

No, it won't. Because swallows are very vigilant birds. I won't live in a nest built by others. Only those who build it themselves will be relieved.

Won't live because swallows are very alert. They have never lived in their own nests. Never live in those that are ready-made, because they feel very insecure.

No, because I don't think they're going to build their own nests and not live in others.

The reason is that the others have gone out to forage.

Swallows feed on insects, and they have always been accustomed to hunting flying insects in the air, and are not good at scavenging for insect food in the crevices and crevices of trees, nor can they omnivorous berries and seeds like oak grouse and ptarmigans, and switch to eating leaves in winter (some coniferous species do not lose their leaves even in winter), and they cannot dig out the larvae, pupae and eggs of lurking insects like woodpeckers and whirling woodfinch. In the northern winter, there are no flying insects for swallows to hunt, so they migrate.

When the swallow builds a nest, there is usually only one, and after the nest is built, the swallow will move over, and there will be many small swallows at that time.

Swallows spend a lot of time catching pests in the air and are one of the most flexible passerine species, mainly feeding on mosquitoes, flies and other insects, and are well-known beneficial birds. Nest in tree holes or crevices, or drill holes in sandy banks, or stick mud on walls or protrusions in corridors, roofs, eaves, etc. in urban and rural areas. 3 7 eggs per lay.

Swallows will choose to abandon their nests in the following situations: lack of food, frequent disturbances, bad weather, breeding failure, and threats of natural predators.

1. Insufficient food.

The swallow's food is mainly small insects in the air, if there is a problem with the food ** around the place where the swallow nests, the number of insects is insufficient, it will directly affect the swallow's foraging and brooding, in this case, the swallow will choose to abandon the nest and find a place with more food to rebuild the nest.

2. Being frequently disturbed.

Swallows are very sensitive during nesting and brooding, and if they are often disturbed and harassed by the outside world at this time, swallows will feel that the place is unsafe and difficult to nest normally, and they will also choose to abandon their nests at this time. People approaching a swallow's nest too often during the breeding period can increase the likelihood that it will abandon the nest.

3. Bad weather.

If there is frequent bad weather such as strong wind, heavy rain, etc., which will seriously threaten the survival of swallow chicks and affect the normal foraging and brooding behavior of swallows. At this time, the swallows will also consider abandoning their nests and moving to areas with milder weather.

4. Failure to reproduce.

If the swallow fails to reproduce in the same nest several times in a row, and the chicks die or do not hatch, the swallow will consider the nest unsuitable for living and breeding, so it will choose to abandon the nest and find a more suitable place to build a new nest.

5. The threat of natural enemies.

If there are signs of activity around the nest of the swallows, such as snakes and cats, it will seriously threaten the survival of the swallows themselves and their chicks. In order to avoid predators and ensure the safety of the population, swallows will also consider abandoning their nests and moving.