Table of Contents 1.

With the weather continuing to warm on British shores throughout the month of April, the majority of our summer migrants arrive now. One of the earlier and most widespread arrivals is the Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica. Their taxonomic name translates literally as country/rural swallow and references their habit of nesting in human-made structures like barns and sheds, a fact echoed in their common name.

Swallows have glossy blue-black plumage, with a pale creamy white underside, red throat and long, forked tail. They are remarkable aerial acrobats, feeding on the wing and catching flies, aphids and other insects in order to do so. They often drink and even bathe on the wing too, swooping low over fresh water and dipping their beak or body in as they pass. For all their aerial skill and diminutive size, they are small enough to seem almost fragile to us, and yet each year they undertake a roughly 6,000-mile migration to South Africa. This extraordinary feat was first established in 1912 when a bird that had been ringed at a nest in Staffordshire was found in Natal.

In their winter roost sites in southern Africa, they gather abundantly, often in reed beds, with vast numbers thought to offer safety from predators. Here in Britain though, while their choice of habitat is often similar, they are seldom seen in groups of more than a few dozen and tend to return to the same breeding grounds each year, often reusing and repairing an old nest. Nests are cup-shaped, constructed of mud and lined with feathers. They are often situated on a beam or ledge, or sometimes some other support against a wall or post and under an eave or other shelter. This return to the same nest is tied to their symbolism as emblems of fidelity, home and safety, which saw them tattooed on sailors long before tattoos were popular.

Swallows have many other cultural significances attributed to them. Many will be familiar with the phrase supposedly spoken by Aristotle, “One swallow does not make a summer”, for this is still in use today. The arrival of swallows often heralded the true start of summer, with old sayings stating “Where the swallows go, summer follows”, but Aristotle warned that we should not make premature conclusions based on a single positive sign.

In conjunction with their symbolism of summer, swallows also represent freedom, happiness and love. Indeed, their return each year signals renewal and faithful love, which has been linked to the Christian belief in resurrection, and legend says that swallows tried to remove the crown of thorns from Christ’s head, which cemented their role as holy birds too. Perhaps for this reason, killing a swallow was considered extremely unlucky, though this is sometimes associated with breaking a promise to nature.

Interestingly, swallows also have a connection with fire. In folklore, their forked tail is rumoured to have been burned while they stole fire for humanity. However, rural tradition holds that a swallow nesting in a barn offers protection against fire and lightning and goes as far as bringing good luck to the farm.

Whatever your view on swallows, they remain for now on the Green List within the UK in terms of conservation concern. This indicates that they are not immediately threatened, but, like most species, they too have suffered recent declines, likely as a result of lower food availability due to agricultural intensification, loss of nesting sites, and increasingly unpredictable weather, especially during migration. With this in mind, listen out for their twittering calls as they arrive this spring and enjoy them. Do what you can to improve your local environment for all wildlife, and take a moment to marvel at these little winged wonders who have travelled thousands of miles to be with us this summer.