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The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a small migratory passerine bird found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. It has a long, deeply forked tail and curved, pointed wings. It is often just called Swallow in Europe, although the term 'swallow' refers more widely to various members of the family Hirundinidae. The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive. ...
Image File history File links Landsvale. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ...
Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Myxozoa (slime animals) Superphylum Deuterostomia (blastopore becomes anus) Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ...
Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with...
Orders Many - see section below. ...
Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...
Genera Many, see text. ...
Species See text The bird genus Hirundo is a group of passerines in the swallow and martin family. ...
In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ...
Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as , (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[1] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ...
// Long-distance land bird migration Many species of land migratory birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the temperate zones of the southern hemisphere. ...
Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...
Orders Many - see section below. ...
World map showing Europe Political map Europe is one of the seven traditional continents of Earth; the term continent here referring to a cultural and political distinction, rather than a physiographic one, thus leading to various perspectives about Europes precise borders. ...
World map showing the location of Asia. ...
For other uses, see Africa (disambiguation). ...
World map showing the Americas The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere historically considered to consist of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. ...
A Ring-tailed Lemur For other uses, see Tail (disambiguation). ...
Genera Many, see text. ...
The nominate European subspecies H. r. rustica has dark blue-black upperparts, off-white underparts and a small patch of red on the throat, with a broad dark blue-black breast band separating the red throat from the off-white underparts. It breeds in Europe and western Asia, as far north as the Arctic Circle, and migrating to Africa in winter. A sign along the Dalton Highway marking the location of the Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. ...
 North American subspecies The North American subspecies H. r. erythrogaster differs from the European subspecies in having redder underparts and a narrower, often incomplete dark breast band. It breeds throughout North America, migrating to South America in winter. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1415x1024, 374 KB)Barn Swallow -- Bluffers Park (Toronto, Canada) -- 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1415x1024, 374 KB)Barn Swallow -- Bluffers Park (Toronto, Canada) -- 2005 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ...
South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...
The Middle Eastern subspecies H. r. transitiva and the resident Egyptian subspecies H. r. savignii also have orange-red underparts, but with a broad dark breast band. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...
The Asian subspecies H. r. gutturalis, H. r. mandschurica, H. r. saturata, and H. r. tytleri are similar to the North American subspecies, with variably darker orange underparts (pale in gutturalis, darkest, deep orange-red, in saturata) and a narrower dark breast band; they breed in eastern Asia and winter in southern Asia and northern Australia.
Behaviour Barn Swallows are similar in habits to the other aerial insectivores, including the other related swallows and martins and the unrelated swifts (order Apodiformes). They are not particularly fast flyers (estimated at about 11 m/s [1]), but show remarkable manoeuvrability, necessary to feed on flying insects while airborne. They are often seen flying relatively low in open or semi-open areas. Any organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore. ...
Genera Many; see text. ...
Metre per second (U.S. spelling: meter per second) is an SI derived unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector), defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds. ...
Classes & Orders See taxonomy Insects are invertebrate animals of the Class Insecta, the largest and (on land) most widely-distributed taxon within the phylum Arthropoda. ...
 North American Barn Swallow nest with hatchlings. Note that even horse hair was used to build the nest. Barn Swallows build neat cup-shaped nests constructed of mud collected in their beaks. The inside of the nest is lined with grasses, feathers and other soft materials. They normally nest in accessible buildings such as stables or under bridges and wharves. Before these types of sites became common, they nested on cliff faces or in caves. The female typically lays 4 or 5 eggs. Both parents build the nest and feed the young. Barn Swallows will swoop and attack intruders that venture too close their nest, often coming within inches of the threat. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 570 KB) Summary This is a picture taken by me. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 570 KB) Summary This is a picture taken by me. ...
The numbers in North America increased during the 20th century with the increased availability of man-made nesting sites. In recent years, there has been an ongoing gradual decline in numbers in parts of Europe and North America, due to agricultural intensification reducing the availability of insect food. However, it remains widespread and fairly common in most parts of its range. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999 in the...
Swallows and man The Barn Swallow has been the national bird of Estonia since 23 June 1960; to Estonians, the Barn Swallow represents free blue sky and eternal happiness. According to Estonian legend, anyone who kills a Barn Swallow will become blind. June 23 is the 174th day of the year (175 th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 191 days remaining. ...
1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...
In the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, an open and hotly debated question is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow, for both African and European swallows, and whether they can carry coconuts or not. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is a comedy film released in 1975. ...
Binomial name Cocos nucifera L. The Coconut Palm (Cocos nucifera), is a member of the Family Arecaceae (palm family). ...
Swallows are often seen in traditional naval tattoos as a symbol of good luck or homecoming, as the birds do not travel far from land, the sight of a swallow at sea meant landfall was imminent. Leopard on shoulder A tattoo is a mark made by inserting pigment into the skin: in technical terms, tattooing is micro-pigment implantation. ...
Gallery
In flight Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2061x1374, 1683 KB) Summary Hirundo rustica in flight. ...
| European subspecies, in England Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica. ...
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European subspecies, in Lithuania Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1212x1468, 1270 KB) Hirundo rustica, Barn Swallow (Lithuania). ...
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References - BirdLife International (2004). Hirundo rustica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ...
The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...
External links - Birds of Britain - Barn Swallow
- RTHK - Talking to Animals - Barn swallow in Hong Kong
- Barn Swallow videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- [http://www.flickr.com/photos/ledwolf/188361752/ Barn Swallow Nest w/young birds taken in Arkansas, USA}
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