Barn Swallow: Fledgling behaviour

YC Wee
on 26th October 2009

Choo Teik Ju’s studies of a Barn Swallow ( Hirundo rustica ) fledgling show the changing mood of the young bird as it waits for the adults to arrive with food. It sits quietly when the adults are not nowhere in sight (above left). Note the yellow flanges lining the mandibles. The moment it senses an adult coming, it gapes widely to highlight the yellow-red bottomless pit of a throat lined by the flanges (above right). At the same time screeching loudly. All these help guide the adult on where to deposit the food. Once the adult is in sight, the wings will unfold, probably to make itself conspicuous (below left).

Once fed, the fledgling may indulge in comfort behaviour, stretching its wings one at a time (above right) or both together and scratching its head.

The photographs were documented by Choo Teik Ju at the Mai Po Marshes, Hongkong.

This post is a cooperative effort between NaturePixels.org and BESG to bring the study of bird behaviour through photography to a wider audience.

If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

YC Wee

Dr Wee played a significant role as a green advocate in Singapore through his extensive involvement in various organizations and committees: as Secretary and Chairman for the Malayan Nature Society (Singapore Branch), and with the Nature Society (Singapore) as founding President (1978-1995). He has also served in the Nature Reserve Board (1987-1989), Nature Reserves Committee (1990-1996), National Council on the Environment/Singapore Environment Council (1992-1996), Work-Group on Nature Conservation (1992) and Inter-Varsity Council on the Environment (1995-1997). He is Patron of the Singapore Gardening Society and was appointed Honorary Museum Associate of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) in 2012. In 2005, Dr Wee started the Bird Ecology Study Group. With more than 6,000 entries, the website has become a valuable resource consulted by students, birdwatchers and researchers locally and internationally. The views and opinions expressed in this article are his own, and do not represent those of LKCNHM, the National University of Singapore or its affiliated institutions.

Other posts by YC Wee

Good Stories Movement

14th September 2024

From watching birdwatchers to watching birds

20th July 2024

Bird Society of Singapore: A credible alternative to the Nature Society’s Bird Group

11th December 2023

Singapore-Nature: 17. Citizen Science

30th August 2023

Singapore-Nature: 16. Living close to nature

18th August 2023

2 responses

  1. I hace swallows nesting on a shelf under theeave.
    I want to evict them after the babies have fledged & are viable. How much longer will I have to wait before safely evicting them?
    I love birds but not pests. They mess up my deck every day.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Comments
Categories
Archives
Links

Overall visits (since 2005)

Clustrmaps (since 2016)

Site Announcements

Welcome to our new home: besgroup.org

Thanks to your continued support in making the website one of the top bird behaviour blogs around, we now have a dedicated domain.

Any views and opinions expressed in the articles are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

© 2024 Bird Ecology Study Group
Facebook