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Barn Swallow! Hirundo rustica
"One hardly knows what quality to admire most in. . . the Barn Swallow. All the dear associations of life at the old farm come thronging up at sight of him. You think of him somehow as part of the sacred past; yet here he is today as young and as fresh as ever, bubbling over with springtime laughter." —William L. Dawson, The Birds of California
I liked that the Birds of the World profile began with this Dawson quote, so I decided to include as well.
What an amazing aerial acrobat. And a real looker. This bird's striking coloration and tantilizing forked tail draw you in and make you go hmmm and aaahhh! I was already in awe of this bird's impressive open-cup nest, built one mouthful of mud at a time. In looking for photos of this gorgeous golondrina (Spanish for swallow) I noticed that there were photographers from all over the world! So let's get to this bird's range first thing.
Range
Range
Check this globe trotter out! Holy schnitzel sticks! It's literally all over the globe! According to its Birds of the World profile the Barn Swallow is "the most widely distributed and abundant swallow in the world." As seen in the map, it basically breeds across the northern hemishphere and winters across the southern. Doesn't seem too into the northern half of Africa or Australia. Hmmm... desert? Not super into the far far north or south either. Not an extreme bird, but looks like it's an adaptable one.
How did this happen? How does this work? How different are all these birds? Are there accents? Differences in mannerisms, coloration, habitat, food choices? So many questions...
Digging Deeper into Range
Digging Deeper into Range
All of the info on the Systematics section of the Barns Swallow's Birds of the World profile was so good! It looks like, as I suspected that there are many physical or phenotypic distinctions as you survey this bird across the world. They include body size, coloration on the throat and underparts, length of the awesome tail steamers, and the width and color of the band on the breast.
'Mer'can Barn Swallow
(United States)
Russian Barn Swallow (Russia)
© Andrew Spencer, Buryatiya, Respublika, Russia, 18 Jun 2017Macaulay Library ML75311481 eBirdS38145069
Swedish Barn Swallow (Sweden)
© Cathy Wennerth, Stockholms län [SE-01], Sweden, 23 Jun 2017Macaulay Library ML63376751 eBirdS37755900
Egyptian Barn Swallow (Egypt)
© Ray Scally, Ash Sharqiyah, Egypt, 20 Jul 2007Macaulay Library ML106506361 eBirdS46892184Just like humans, it looks like all the Barn Swallows across the globe have a common African ancestor. If memory serves (yep! it serves. Thanks for confirmation Nat Geo), it looks like they expanded the same way humans did too. They spread up through Europe and Asia and then use the Bering Strait to expand into the Americas.
Tangent comparing bird and human evolution:
Tangent comparing bird and human evolution:
Q: When did birds originate?
A: 60 million years ago (Whaaat?? Old!)
Fossil records suggest that modern birds originated 60 million years ago, after the end of the Cretaceous period about 65 million years ago when dinosaurs died off. But molecular studies suggest that the genetic divergences between many lineages of birds occurred during the Cretaceous period. Feb 8, 2008. Modern Birds Existed Before Dinosaur Die-Off. A deeper and further back dive here with U.C. Berkeley.
Q: When did humans originate?
A: 6 to 7 million years ago (Ha ha, FACE! We're so young)
The earliest hominin, of presumably primitive bipedalism, is considered to be either Sahelanthropus or Orrorin, both of which arose some 6 to 7 million years ago. Human evolution - Wikipedia
Q: When did Barn Swallows originate?
A: There is little fossil history information for barn Swallows. The closest fossil is Hirundo aprica, an Upper Pliocene species described from Kansas dated 3.5–3.3 million years ago. Hmmm, hard to say if Barn Swallows are older than humans. I was trying to learn if we evolved together, but that research on my part will have to remain undone for now.
References
Brown, M. B. and C. R. Brown (2020). Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.barswa.01
Dawson, W. L. (1923). The Birds of California: A Complete, Scientific and Popular Account of the 580 Species and Subspecies of Birds Found in the State. Volume 2. South Moulton, San Diego, CA, USA.
Vilar et.al. “Map of Human Migration.” https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/. National Geographic, The Genographic Project. Web. 2005 to present.
Brown, M. B. and C. R. Brown (2020). Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.barswa.01
Dawson, W. L. (1923). The Birds of California: A Complete, Scientific and Popular Account of the 580 Species and Subspecies of Birds Found in the State. Volume 2. South Moulton, San Diego, CA, USA.
Vilar et.al. “Map of Human Migration.” https://genographic.nationalgeographic.com/human-journey/. National Geographic, The Genographic Project. Web. 2005 to present.
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