Expert: Julia Booth - 10/11/2010

Question
QUESTION: i'm a student major in architecture. my project requires me
to build a 'building' shelter for one species of animals.
I'm interested in swalllows. Most swallows are migratory or
short range migratory. My question is, can swallows be kept
in a well ventilated enclosed shelter? can they survive
without migrating? even in a man-made natural environment
with food provided?

ANSWER: If the temperature is controlled, any bird can survive without migrating, theoretically speaking. But migrating is about more than finding warmer weather. It's an impotant component of a bird's life cycle.

But I would not place a swallow in any enclosure that would not allow it to fly. Swallows generally spend hours a day in flight, sometimes not bothering to lsnd for extended periods of time. And when they do land, it is very brief and usually as high up as possible. The only exception to this would be nesting season, when tree swallows inhabit man made nesting boxes.

Just to give you an idea of how active these little guys are, I hsve been a photographer as well as bird watcher for many years. I have only ever taken one decent picture of a swallow, and that was when it was exiting its nesting box.

It would also be difficult for you to provide the swallow with the appropriate food, as they prefer to catch live insects in their mouths, while in flight. They usually do this over a body of water, where small insects are likely to be found.

Let me know if this doesn't answer your question,

Julia



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks. Your reply are very helpful.
Allow me to ask, Do swallows nest have to be high up above the ground? I was thinking to design an underground nest area with many nest boxes. Above the underground is a fake ground with many apertures, allowing the sunlight to reach the underground and the swallows can fly in and out between this 2 spaces.

Is it appropriate to have nest area underground?
And are humans allows to go close to the nest?  

Answer
The only birds I know of that nest underground are puffins and penguins, kingfishers and burrowing owls. Generally they will re-use nests created by rodents.

The kind of nests swallows use vary by species. Tree swallows will use nesting boxes, or naturally occurring holes and crevices, and cliff swallows build mud nests. They might do this as low as 5 or 6 feet off the ground. But they prefer higher up.

If you were to build an underground enclosure, it would have to be large enough so that any nesting boxes could be placed fifty to a hundred feet apart from one another. That's not mandatory. That's just recommended. I have seen tree swallows nest much closer together than that. But they can be very territorial. And cliff swallows will build mud nests litreally right on top of one another.

No bird wants a human near their nest. This goes for pet birds as well. Birds are very skittish during nesting season. Many birds fail to conceive, just because of stress caused by closer proximity to humans or other animals. Doves and cockatiels, for instance. Tree swallow nesting boxes have to be monitored remotely and discreetly.

I feel compelled to point out that you would have to stock your enclosure with a steady supply of flying insects, for the swallows to eat. I don't know much about building per se. But as far as health and safety goes, no one is likely to give you a permit to build an enclosure that houses thousands of insects. It would be a threat to the environment. The kind of insects these birds eat are considered pests and the birds exist to keep them under control.

If you have any more questions, let me know.



~Julia