Barn Swallow

• It migrates up to 11,000 km between its breeding and wintering grounds.
• It catches flying insects on the wing.
• It can raise up to 2 broods a year.
• comportamientoIt returns each year to nest in exactly the same spot, often reusing and repairing the structure from previous seasons.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Open farmland and rural country across almost the whole Northern Hemisphere; it winters in South America, Africa and southern Asia

Birth weight

Weight at hatching not found as a precise figure in the sources consulted

Size at birth

Blind and naked at hatching

Sexual maturity

1 year

Gestation / incubation

13-16 days

Litter / clutch size

3 to 6 eggs per clutch (most commonly 4-5), up to 2 broods a year

Life expectancy in captivity

Documented record of 15 years

Sources consulted: A-Z Animals · Animal Diversity Web · NHPBS NatureWorks · SimplyBirding · AnAge (genomics.senescence.info) · Animal Streets

Best time: From March to September in the Iberian Peninsula; it is a trans-Saharan migrant and breeds in stables, porches and inhabited buildings.