Scientific name:
Hirundo rustica

Natural spread:
northern hemisphere

the smoke-swallow is a distinct migratory bird, only the most southern populations behave as stand-birds. So, the brood-areas of this holarktischen type stretch over the whole northern Erdhalbkugel, while the individual populations in the tropical South America (with exception of the rain-forests), in Africa and south - as well as. Spend the winter southeast-Asia. In the hibernation-areas, they, dependent on the food-offer, can perform in gigantic swarms.

Way of life How all swallows, also this type of small insects, who are caught skillfully in the flight, lives. Predominantly put in on gnats and flies, its natural habitat must have beweidete one from big mammals steppe. Through the cultivation of the landscapes, the human being changed this habitat so largely that the smoke-swallows of pronounced Kulturfolger became.

Reproduction In uncultivated areas, the birds nest in caves; rarely, one finds tree-nests. In the culture-landscapes, houses and stables offer corresponding substitute especially since the food-offer is secured in rural areas with the pet-attitude. Exactly in the European brood-area, the smoke-swallow becomes rarer there where modern stall-hygiene doesn't offer any sufficient development-time to the insects.

Popular Nistmöglichkeiten present themselves at the protective wood-beams of stall-buildings; but also under prominent roofs or bridges, one can stick together it existing from grass-stalks and reed-scrap bowl finds. Differently than the nest almost always stands alone with the martin. Usually it has the form of a quarter-ball and is only skimpy from-dressed with feathers. Both partners build while the Bebrütung of the 4-5 eggs is matter of the female mainly.

The nest-stools slip after 14-16 days (brood-beginning middle of May of end June) and leave the nest for the first time after 20-24 days, comes back again at first at night, however. Even, they can still be fed by the alto-birds in the air. From end August, in the German spread-area usually middle of September, the smoke-swallows move again into its African hibernation-areas.

Relationships to the human being its type of joining the human being turned the smoke-swallow into a very popular bird. You purring chirp are narrowly trusted above all the country-population. A series of people-wisdoms goes back to this bird. it is sung of in songs and plays a symbolic role in poems. To the popularity of the smoke-swallows contributes that place-scatters the pairs very much is and visits the same nest again consecutively many years.