A small, fragile bird that spends its entire life in flight is called a killer whale. By destroying a large number of pests, the swallow brings invaluable benefits. The killer whale got its name due to the long extremely tail tail wings. In flight, they are very fast and beautiful. Despite its small size, this bird is very hardy and able to cover huge distances, flying above the ground at a height of 9 meters.
Description
Killer whale is a bird from the family of swallows, numbering about a hundred species. The most common are two types of killer whales: rural and urban.
The urban swallow makes its nest next to the nest of another pair, placing it outside the buildings. Village - prefers to settle near a person’s home.
The barn swallow has a deep black color from the back, and the abdomen is white with an orange tint. A reddish spot is visible on the throat and forehead. It has an elongated body about 20 cm long, narrow wings, the span of which reaches 35 cm, and weight - 22 g. The tail in the middle is divided by a deep neckline. Thanks to this structure, flying, they can perform different tricks, develop speeds of up to 20 km / h. Paws, beak and iris are black. It is difficult to distinguish the male from the female, the only difference is the length of the tail: the female is shorter and has a paler inner part.
Killer whale (bird), the description of which is located above, lives in the wild for about five years. High mortality of birds in the first year of life, sometimes it reaches 80%. Further, this indicator is slightly reduced. The reason for the death of killer whales is a lot of enemies living on the ground and in the air.
However, the disappearance of this species of swallows does not threaten, since their population is large and totals tens of millions of individuals.
In all respects superior to other species of killer whale (bird). Red Book Republic of Yakutia, in which this species is listed, is an exception.
Molting
In adult killer whales, molting occurs once a year. The small plumage begins to change in August during nesting and continues in wintering areas until spring. Large plumage is replaced by the spring flight. In the younger generation, the first full molt occurs during wintering.
Singing
The males and females sing very beautifully, uttering a cheerful twitter, which ends with a loose trill of "cerr". The female’s song is a little shorter. In case of danger, they make sharper and louder sounds. During the flight they talk with a short twitter.
Killer whale (bird): where does it live?
In August-September, they stray into large flocks, preparing to fly for the winter. If during the period of migration the swallows found a long inclement weather, they become very helpless, fall into a stupor and die.
During flights, keep open spaces. They can live in those conditions where it is possible to obtain food, water, material for the construction of the nest. The swallow can be found in North America, northern Africa, in Eurasia, where they spend the winter. In Alaska and in Greenland, these birds do not occur. In nature, nests of birds nest on rocks, cliffs, in caves, rarely on trees. Swallows lead a daily life.
Nesting
In early May, swallows appear in central Russia. They build their nests under canopies and roofs. They are not afraid to settle inside human dwellings: in the halls, in the attics, in rooms. Cases of nest construction in chimneys are known. In some countries it is called: “smoke swallow”. The male also takes part in the construction of the nest. Clay, sand is used for this process. Earthen particles from which the nest is made are attached to each other by sticky saliva, which is released from the mouth of a bird. Inside lined with hair, feathers, grass. The shape of the house resembles a bowl-bowl.
When attracting swallows for nesting, care must be taken so that they can easily fall into the nest in farm buildings or attics. In cases of nestlings, they should be planted in another swallow's nest. It is almost impossible to feed the chicks on their own.
Nutrition
Killer whale is a bird that feeds by catching in flight insects: flies, mosquitoes, butterflies, beetles, crickets, midges, spiders, grasshoppers flying or living not high above the ground, in meadows or near water bodies.
Due to the wide beak, this method of food production is good for them. They can’t eat differently, so they die from a lack of insects in the cold and rainy season. Accompany pets to pastures and pastures. They can peck insects from the walls. They swallow their prey whole. During nesting, they fly in pairs. When flying above the water surface, birds drink, opening their beaks wide and picking up water. Swallows are also swimming during the flight, immediately descending into the water.
Breeding
Couples that are created at the beginning of the mating season are preserved for life. In order to attract a female, the male sings songs and at the same time spreads his wings, showing his beauty. The female half prefers individuals with a long tail.
In late May - early June, killer whales lay 4 to 6 eggs of various colors: white with gray spots or white with red-brown spots. The female can do three clutches between May and August. In the first clutches, eggs are larger and larger. Sometimes the male does not find a girlfriend and adjoins an already existing pair. He takes part in the construction and protection of the nest, hatches eggs and performs mating duties.
Both parents incubate the chicks in some pairs in turn. In others, only a female. After 14 days or a little more, depending on weather conditions, a young generation of killer whales is born. For about three weeks, the killer whale is a bird, the photo of which is below, takes care of them, often bringing food.
In the early days of flights, the younger generation returns to their parents' nest for the night. Then the kids begin to live and eat on their own. Chicks will be ready for sex next spring.
Interesting Facts
- In 1999, the killer whale was declared the bird of the year.
- There is a popular sign that if someone ruins a swallow’s nest, they will have freckles.
- People have long believed that if you offend her, then she will definitely take revenge. And if the swallows have disappeared, then trouble will come soon.
- Houses where a killer whale (bird) nests, were considered happy.
- The national symbol of Estonia is the barn swallow.
- Killer whale does not live among asphalt, transport, pesticides, that is, where green spaces, lawns disappear.
- In some countries with developed industry, special boxes with earth, clay, and manure are put up to attract killer whales so that swallows can use them to build nests.
Killer whale is a bird, which is not made to live in a cell. However, cases are described when it was possible not only to tame a bird, but also to force them to nest and hatch. The killer whale was fed ants eggs with finely grated carrots and flies. The killer whale is very attached to the people who fed it, and therefore it is difficult to make it fly away with other birds during the winter.