barn swallow - motus · feederwatch, project nestwatch (canada), nestwatch (us), great backyard...
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Barn SwallowLatin name: Hirundo rusticaFrench name: Hirondelle rustiqueSpanish name: Golondrina Común
Barn Swallows settle into breeding areas in April and May, seeking open areas like grasslands, farms and marshes. Males set up territories near structures, often associ-ated with human dwellings, like barns and outbuildings. Cup-shaped nests are made of mud pellets and lined with feathers for 3-7 white eggs. Females incubate for 2 weeks, and both parents feed the young for another 3 weeks.
BREEDING
Adult Barn Swallows leave the breeding area shortly after their young fledge the nest. By August, large flocks of swal-lows gather on power lines, in fields and wetlands, foraging and preparing for the journey back to their wintering grounds.
FALL MIGRATION
Barn Swallows spend the non-breeding season in Central and South America, where the tropical climate supports an abundant supply of food.
WINTER
Barn Swallows are neotropical migrants, travelling long distances to breeding areas in North America. They migrate during the day, moving north as spring’s warmer weather makes flying insects, like blackflies, midges and mosquitoes, available along the journey.
SPRING MIGRATION
Photo: M
ark Peck
DESCRIPTIONBarn Swallows are a widespread and familiar species in the Swallow family. They are aerial insectivores, and have fast, agile flight to feed on flying insects.
17-19
cm
Weight: 16-22 g
CONSERVATION STATUS:Worldwide Assessment (Global IUCN): Least ConcernIn Canada (COSEWIC): ThreatenedPopulation trend: Large Decrease (-3.7 % /year)
CLASSIFICATIONKingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata
Class: AvesOrder: Passeriformes (Perching birds)
Family: Hirundinidae (Swallows)Genus: HirundoSpecies: rustica
Glossy dark blue back-side
Rufous forehead, chin & throat
Forked tail
BARN SWALLOW ECOLOGY PROJECT: Scientists are exploring what factors may be impacting Barn Swallows between the breeding stage and fall migration..
SCIENCE GOALS: � Observe the regional post-breeding movements and survival of juvenile Barn Swallows.
� Determine the locations and dates that individual Barn Swallows start fall migration.
� Identifying important stopover locations and length of stay during migration.
CONSERVATION: Globally, Barn Swallows are listed as a species of Least Concern. However, populations in Canada have continuously declined for nearly 40 years, and Barn Swallows are listed as a Threatened species by the Committee of the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. The causes of this trend are not well understood, but as long-distant, neotropical migrants, these birds rely on many locations, and safe and healthy habitats to support different stages of their annual cycle. Key conservation concerns include:
� Habitat availability � Changing climate & seasonal shifts result in mis-matched timing of food availability � Decline in food source linked to pesticides
METHODS: Adult and juvenile Barn Swallows are tagged at their nesting site, usually within barns or outbuildings (A). Mist nests are set up inside the barn or at an entrance where birds move in and out with food for the young chicks (B, above). An aluminum band is attached to the birds leg (C), and information about its age, sex, fat, wing length and weight are recorded (D). A nanotag with a loop harness is wrapped on the birds legs and sits at the base of the bird like a backpack (E). The birds are released, and the tags will continue to emit a unique signal that can be detected by the Motus receivers for up to three months.
Nanotags have been released on more than 250 Barn Swallows since 2016 in southwestern Ontario, and in Atlantic Canada. Detections of these tags indicate the date and location of the individual bird as it moves across the landscape. VIDEO: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUCuHEu730s
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Project photos: Miriam Bauman (A,C), Christian Artuso (B),
Megan Wilcox (D), Liza Barney (E)
Adapted from Motus Wildlife Tracking System Projects: Barn Swallows Cambridge and Toronto Zoo (#207: https://motus.org/data/project?id=207)
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BARN SWALLOW
DATE LATITUDE LONGITUDE ALPHA- NUMERIC
NEAREST REFERENCE
LENGTH OF STAY
July 31, 2018 43.44 -80.64 I-9 Kitchener, ON, CAN 27d 5h 3m 46s
August 28, 2018 42.62 80.72 I-9 Woodstock, ON, CAN 0d 0h 3m 21s
August 28, 2018 43.06 -80.75 I-9 Port Burwell, ON, CAN 0d 0h 10m 28s
September 2, 2018 30.09 -84.16 I-12 Tallahassee, FL, USA 0d 0h 21m 45s
Sept 13, 2018 8.64 -77.35 I-16 Panama City, Panama 0d 0h 4m 36s
July 25, 2018 46.12 -64.24 J-8 Shemogue, NB, CAN 23d 23h 0m
August 24, 2018 46.18 -64.12 J-8 Johnston’s Point, NB, CAN 1d h 32m
August 25, 2018 45.9407 -64.2575 J-8 Jolicure, NB, CAN 0d 0h 8m
August 26, 2018 45.1257 -67.2661 J-8 Upper Mills, ME, USA 0d 0h 9m
August 27, 2018 3.3351 -70.5492 J-9 Wells, ME, USA 0d 0h 7m
August 27, 2018 42.7804 -70.8084 J-9 Plum Island, MA, USA 0d 4h 56m
August 31, 2018 39.058 -74.7748 I-10 Cape May, NJ, USA 0d 20h 55m
September 4, 2018 31.8406 -81.0883 I-11 Savannah, GA, USA 0d 0h 4m
September 5, 2018 30.4313 -81.4108 I-12 Jacksonville, FL, USA unknown
PROJECT DATAThe following individual Barn Swallows represent a subset of the population’s movements across the landscape. Explore the post-breeding and migration movements on the provided base map using the following guidelines:
1. Label the bird species in the top right corner of the map page.2. Use the detection data in the table below to plot the locations on the map. 3. Connect the dots and label each track with the tag identification number. 4. Draw arrowheads on the tracks to point in the direction of bird movement.5. Label the track dates on the first detection location and the last detection location.6. Circle the location where the bird stopped for the longest time. Label its length of stay.7. Using the scale on the map and a ruler, measure and label the total flight track distance
from its wintering to breeding location.8. Choose two detections, and calculate the flight speed between locations (distance/time as
km/hr). Label this on the map sites. 9. Build a legend in the bottom left corner of the map. Use a different color to label each
stage: Breeding, Migration, and Wintering10. Fill in the Breeding range and the Wintering range of the map, using the legend colors.
Trace the flight tracks with the color for Migration.11. Circle the country names of which this bird was detected in.12. Draw a big star on your location. Which range for this species are you located?
CHECK YOUR MIGRATION TRACK HERE: motus.org/data/demo/educationBARS.html Compare these tracks with the eBird abundance map animation: ebird.org/science/status-and-trends/barswa/abundance-map-weekly
Table LegendBARS 18240 BARS 18526
BARN SWALLOW
You will need:
A. attached base map (latitude/longitude OR
alphanumeric)B. 3 colours (highlighters or
pencil crayons)C. pencil or pen
D. rulerE. calculator
Use the guided discussion boxes below to analyze the project results from this Case Study. The attached Resource page offers further information to support your inquiry. Present and discuss as a class, or compare results with other Case Study species.
DISCUSSION
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Populations: What is the population trend and status for Barn Swallows?
Migration Ecology: What habitat and food resources make a good stopover site for this species?
Threat Assessment: Identify a threat that might impact survival or success at each stage: Breeding; Migration; Wintering
Conservation: How can human-related threats be reduced or mitigated?
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Ecological Connections: Design a food web model to display connections of Barn Swallows to their ecological community.
Bird Art: Sketch or model a Barn Swallow using pencil; paints; clay; or using computer graphics (using software such as Adobe Illustrator).
Bird Inquiry: Investigate a human-related threat to Barn Swallows, and present information in a creative communication (infographic, popular news article, skit, memes, comic, graphic, brochure, powerpoint presentation, poem, short story, game, quiz, appeal letter, blogpost etc.).
Connecting Communities through birds: Connect with another school that shares the wintering, migratory or breeding range of this species. You could write a letter to inform the school of the bird, exchange posts on social media, or arrange a classroom-to-classroom video chat.
Career Connections: Write a professional profile for one of the personnel on the project research team. Find this information on the Motus website project pages in Case Study. Consider reaching out for an interview about their career path, organization or research.
Citizen Science: Participate in Citizen Science to learn more about birds in your area and contribute observations for science and conservation. Try Project FeederWatch, Project NestWatch (Canada), NestWatch (US), Great Backyard Bird Count, and eBird.
Stewardship & Conservation: Initiate or participate in a stewardship activity that helps reduce or mitigate impacts of threats to birds in your community.
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LIFE HISTORY• All About Birds: Barn Swallow https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barn_Swallow/• Audubon: Barn Swallow https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barn-swallow• 9 Cool Facts about Barn Swallows: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-barn-swallow-wildlife-facts-1.3637139
CONSERVATION AND POPULATION STATUS• COSEWIC Assessment and Status of birds in Canada (2011) https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2014&sL=e&sM=a&sB=BARS• COSEWIC Status Report: https://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/virtual_sara/files/cosewic/sr_barn_swallow_0911_eng.pdf• IUCN Red List: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22712252/87461332• BirdLife Data Zone: http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/barn-swallow-hirundo-rustica• State of Canada’s Birds Report (pg 9): http://nabci.net/resources/state-of-canadas-birds-2019/
NATURAL AND HUMAN-RELATED THREATS• Wildlife Preservation Canada: https://wildlifepreservation.ca/fr/maritime-swallows/• A Synthesis of Human-related Avian Mortality in Canada: https://www.ace-eco.org/vol8/iss2/art11/
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY• Individual condition, but not fledging phenology, carries over to affect post‐fledging survival in a Neotropical migratory songbird https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ibi.12727• Declines of Aerial Insectivores in North America Follow a Geographic Gradient http://www.ace-eco.org/vol5/iss2/art1/
IN THE NEWS• Inside Ontario’s fight to save declining barn swallows, one birdhouse at a time https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/barn-swallows-decline-1.4190126?platform=hootsuite• Barn swallow haven reveals a treasure trove of bird data https://www.therecord.com/news-story/7509873-barn-swallow-haven-reveals-a-treasure-trove-of-bird-data/
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Y Aerial Insectivore An animal (bird, bat, insect) that feeds on insects while in flight
Alternate plumage The feather molt of birds during non-breeding periods
Altricial young Birds born naked, blind and dependent on parental care (Ex. most songbirds)
Aves The class of animals known as “birds”
Biodiversity ‘Bio’ means Life; ‘Diversity’ means variety; the variety of life forms
Bird Banding A technique used to study and track individual birds by attaching a numbered metal band to the leg and releasing it back into the wild
Breeding To mate and produce offspring
Breeding Behavior Behavior exhibited to attract a mate (bright plumage, singing, drumming, dancing)
Breeding Plumage The feather molt used during the breeding season (males are usually more colorful)
Brood The number of birds hatched from a single clutch of eggs
Brood Patch The patch of featherless skin on underside of birds for incubation during nesting
Call Short and simple bird sounds. Communicate location, hunger, danger
Camouflage The coloration of an organism that matches its environment to conceal itself
Climate Change A change in regional or global climate patterns
Clutch The number of eggs a female lays in a single nesting attempt
Conservation The preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and the natural environment and of wildlife
Copulation The mating process which fertilizes the egg to initiate development of embryo
Courtship Displays or rituals performed to attract a mate
COSEWIC Committee of the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (www.cosewic.ca)
Diurnal Birds that are active during the day and sleep at night
eBird A global Citizen Science database of bird observations (www.ebird.org)
Ecosystem Combination of all living and non-living things that interact in an environment
Egg The hard-shelled structure laid by birds containing embryo, yolk, and white
Endangered A species that is in danger of becoming extinct
Environment An area characterised by conditions in the climate, soil, terrain, and living organisms
Extinction A species that is no longer living on Earth
Field Marks Visible characteristics of a bird (color, wing bars, bill shape)
Feathers External, ‘feathered’ projections of the skin unique to birds. Aid in flight, insulation, waterproofing, camouflage and courtship.
Fledge When young birds leave the nest
Flyway Flight route used by migratory birds between their wintering and breeding locations
Food Chain Direct links of energy transfer between organisms
Food Web The combined interactions between different species in an ecological community
Habitat A place where an animal makes its home and meets all of its needs for survival (food, water, shelter, and space)
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Y Hatch Process of baby bird breaking out of an egg
Herbivores Primary consumers; organisms that eat plants (primary producers)
Incubation The process of keeping eggs warm (or cool) to maintain temperature for development
Invasive Species A plant or an animal that is non-native to the environment and is having a negative impact on the dynamics of the natural community
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature; global authority on the status of natural world and the measures needed to safeguard it (www.iucn.org)
Juvenile A young bird that has fledged the nest and is independent of parental care
Migration Movement of a species from one place to another; usually for breeding, foraging, and survival needs
Molt The process of losing and replacing feathers for breeding and migration.
Motus WTS Motus Wildlife Tracking System, a large-scale network of automated radio telemetry receivers to track small animals across the landscape
Nanotag Small radio transmitters that emit a unique signal (frequency). Affixed to small animals (birds, bats, insects) to determine location and date/time when detected by a receiver
Neotropical Migrant
A long-distant migrating bird that winters in the tropics and breeds north of 23 °N.
Nest Shelter prepared by birds for laying eggs and raising young
Nocturnal Birds that are active at night and sleep during the day
Ornithology The scientific study of birds
Plumage The colour and colour patterns of feathers
Population The number of individuals of a particular species in a defined area
Precocial young Birds born fully feathered, mobile, and active (Ex. ducks, geese, shorebirds)
Preen To clean and position feathers with a beak
Roost A place for temporary rest or sleep
Scrape A shallow depression used by ground birds as a nest (Ex. Killdeer)
Songs Loud vocalizations used to attract mates or as territorial defense
Species Individuals of the same organism that can breed and produce fertile offspring under natural conditions
Stewardship Responsible activities to protect and enhance the environment
Stopover A brief stay during the course of a migration to rest and build energy reserves
Taxonomy The classification of organisms to assign names and relationshipsKingdom; Phylum; Class; Order; Family; Genus; Species
Threatened A species at risk of becoming endangered
Wintering To spend the winter; often the non-breeding stage
BARN SWALLOW
Bahamas
HaitiJamaica
Guatemala
BelizeHonduras
NicaraguaEl Salvador Panama
CostaRica
Uruguay
Peru
TobagoTrinidad
St. John's
MontréalQuébec
MoosoneeEdmonton
Whitehorse Yellowknife
Iqaluit
Victoria
NantucketIsland
Panama City
Bogota
Colón
Cape May
Galveston
Rio Grande
Buenos Aires
Caracas
Portland
Coats Island
Mingan ArchipelagoNational
Park Reserve
Denver
Olympia
Mexico City
LimaBrasíila
Santiago
Sucre
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Sacramento Cincinnati
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Brazil
Chile
Colombia
Paraguay
Venezuela French
Ecuador
Dominican Republic
Suriname
AntiguaFrance
Guyana
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NicaraguaCosta
Ecuador
Uruguay
Argentina
Bolivia
Peru
Montréal
Winnipeg
Edmonton
Whitehorse Yellowknife
Iqaluit
VictoriaRegina
NantucketIsland
PanamaCity
Colón
Galveston
RioGrande
BuenosAires
Caracas
NewOrleans
Erie
CoatsIsland
Mingan Archipelago
Phoenix
Denver
Olympia
Sacramento
MexicoCity
LimaBrasíila
Santiago
Sucre
Helena
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Colombia
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Chile Paraguay
Venezuela
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St.John's
Québec
Kingston
Moosonee
Cape MayCincinnati
Portland
NationalPark Reserve
Atlanta
Bahamas
Dominican Republic
Jamaica HaitiHonduras
PanamaEl Salvador GuyanaSuriname
FrenchGuiana
Rica
Guatemala