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Photo © Keith Williams
Photo © Heather Russell

Save a Spot for Barn Swallows

Continuing with our monthly campaign to help reverse the declines of aerial insectivores, this month we are featuring the Barn Swallow. This inky blue swallow with a chestnut face, rufous breast, and deeply forked tail has a near-hemispheric breeding distribution and can often be found nesting on human-made structures (e.g., barns, homes, businesses, schools, etc.). To encourage nesting in appropriate places, you can attach a nest shelf to the outside wall of a building, just underneath the roofline. Download free plans for making a nest shelf (although even simpler designs will do). The best time to install a nest shelf is before the birds return to their breeding grounds, so don’t wait too long (mid-March is a good goal for installation).

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology