Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica): residence description

Official title: Description of Residence for Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Canada

Preface

Section 33 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) prohibits damaging or destroying the residence of a listed threatened, endangered, or extirpated species. SARA defines residence as: "a dwelling-place, such as a den, nest or other similar area or place, that is occupied or habitually occupied by one or more individuals during all or part of their life cycles, including breeding, rearing, staging, wintering, feeding or hibernating" [s.2(1)]. With respect to a listed wildlife species that is an aquatic species or a species of bird protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994, the prohibition applies wherever the residences are found. For any other listed wildlife species, the prohibition applies automatically when the residence of the species is on federal lands and will only apply on non-federal lands if an order is made pursuant to sections 34 or 35 of SARA.Under section 97 of SARA every person who contravenes section 33 of the Act commits an offence.

A residence would be considered to be damaged or destroyed if an alteration to the residence and/or its topography, structure, geology, soil conditions, vegetation, chemical composition of air/water, surface or groundwater hydrology, micro-climate, or sound environment either temporarily or permanently impairs the function(s) of the residence of one or more individuals.

The following residence description was created for the purposes of increasing public awareness, and enhancing conservation outcomes by promoting compliance with the above prohibitions.

Under SARA, Barn Swallows have one type of residence: the nest.

Under SARA, the destruction of this migratory bird species' residence is prohibited automatically on all lands. Under certain conditions, SARA provides that permits may be issued for activities that affect a listed wildlife species, its critical habitat or residences of its individuals. SARA also provides exceptions for certain activities that relate to public safety, health or national security. The Government of Canada will work with landowners and land managers to explore options when situations concerning public health and safety arise.

Damage and destruction of the residence

During the period of occupancy of the residence, any activity that damages or destroys the functions of the nest would constitute damage or destruction of the residence. These activities include, but are not limited to, moving, damaging or destroying the nest; blocking access to the nest; disturbing the nest; or any other activity that would damage or destroy the functions of the nest.

1. Nest

Physical appearance and context

During the period of occupancy, any Barn Swallow nest, whether occupied^{Footnote 1} or not, is considered a residence. The half-cup-shaped nest is made of mud pellets interspersed with layers of grass stems (Brown and Brown 1999). The interior of the nest is lined with fine grass stems and other material including feathers during the egg-laying, incubation and nestling periods (Brown and Brown 1999). The nest is approximately 7.5 cm wide (front to back) x 13 cm long (right to left side) x 5 cm deep (Brown and Brown 1999). The Barn Swallow sometimes makes use of artificial nest cups and nesting platforms (Mercadante and Stanback 2011; Richardson 2013; Heagy et al. 2014). Artificial nest cups are generally made of wood (Van Vleck 2013) or plastic mesh. Mud is usually added (Bird Studies Canada 2013) and a source of mud in the vicinity of the nest site is necessary for the birds to line the interior of the artificial nest cup.

Barn Swallow nests are commonly built on human-made structures that provide either a horizontal nesting surface (such as a ledge) or a vertical face made of rough or unfinished material (e.g. concrete, wood) or with a projection of some sort to help support the nest, often with some sort of overhang (Van Vleck 2013). Barn Swallows build their nest in locations that provide shelter from inclement weather and protection from predators (Safran 2006). These structures include buildings, wharves, and bridges. Surrogate nesting structures^{Footnote 2} generally show lower occupancy rates compared to commonly used nesting structures (Bird Studies Canada 2013).

Prior to European settlement, Barn Swallows are thought to have built nests on Indigenous Peoples' habitations, but likely predominantly used natural nesting sites, such as caves, holes, crevices and ledges associated with rocky cliff faces (Bent 1942; COSEWIC 2011). Land-use changes creating open country habitat near human-made structures suitable for nesting have likely made these sites more attractive to prospecting Barn Swallows than natural sites. A small proportion of Barn Swallows still nest in natural settings such as caves and underneath cliff ledges (Brown and Brown 1999).

The Barn Swallow will nest solitarily, but is more frequently a colonial or semi-colonial species (COSEWIC 2011). During the nesting season, birds accessing or leaving human-made structures may indicate the presence of at least one residence.

Function

The nest forms a container in which the Barn Swallow can lay and incubate its eggs, and raise its chicks. In Canada, clutch size is generally four to five eggs in the east (Ontario: range: 1–7 eggs; Peck and James 1987), and three to five in the west (British Columbia: range 1–10 eggs; Campbell et al. 1997). Both members of the pair incubate the eggs, but females do more. Both parents feed nestlings (Brown and Brown 1999). At about 20 days (range 19–24; Campbell et al. 1997), the young fledge, but still roost in the vicinity of the nest, returning to the nest at night for several days after fledging (Brown and Brown 1999).

Nests from previous nesting seasons appear to be an important habitat feature as a cue for yearling females selecting an initial nest site (Safran 2004, 2007; Heagy et al. 2014). Reuse of old nests allows earlier breeding, which increases reproductive success by increasing the likelihood to produce more than one brood per year (Barclay 1988; Safran 2006, 2007).

Period and frequency of occupancy

The possible period of occupancy of the nest is about four months, from the beginning of May to the end of August (Brown and Brown 1999; COSEWIC 2011). Birds investigate many potential nesting sites upon arrival on breeding grounds, and construction of the nest typically begins 5 to 14 days after arrival from spring migration (COSEWIC 2011). Nest construction starts in mid-May in Ontario (Peck and James 1987), but varies geographically, starting later in the northern part of the species' range in Canada. Second broods are common in the southern part of the species' range in Canada (COSEWIC 2011). Young and adults have generally left the nest by the end of August (COSEWIC 2011).

Barn Swallows are closely tied to locations where they have nested before (Shields 1984; Brown and Brown 1999; Heagy et al. 2014; T. Imlay, pers. comm.), with up to 98% of birds returning to previous nesting locations (Bradley et al. 2014; M. Cadman, pers. comm.). Fidelity to nesting locations appears to be greater than fidelity to specific nests (Shields 1984). Studies conducted over short periods (2–3 years) found that 28% of nests were reused during the study (T. Imlay, unpubl. data), 45% of active nests had been used previously (Barclay 1988), and 56% of nests used one year were reused during the next nesting season (Samuel 1971). Longer-term studies (5–11 years) found that 82% of breeding pairs had used an old nest (Safran 2006) and that 82% of active nests had been used in previous years (M. Cadman, pers. comm.). Breeding Barn Swallows might not reuse the same nest in two consecutive years, but will generally reuse another nest found in the same colony (within the nesting location). Despite the likelihood of reuse of old nests between years, the same individuals generally do not reuse the same nest from year to year.

Upon arrival on breeding grounds, Barn Swallows investigate potential nesting sites, often where old nests from previous years are found (Brown and Brown 1999). Birds evaluate the presence of parasites at old nests and avoid heavily parasitized ones (Barclay 1988; Brown and Brown 1999). Barn Swallow nests persist for many years and are frequently reused within a breeding season for a second brood and in subsequent years (Barclay 1988; Safran 2006; Heagy et al. 2014), although they might remain unused during one year and be reused the following year (M. Cadman, pers. comm.).

Under SARA, the nest, occupied or not, is considered a residence:

• in provinces: from May 1^st or the date when adults are first seen building or occupying the nest, whichever is earlier, to August 31^st or the date when a bird is last seen at the nest, whichever is later
• in territories: from May 15^th or the date when adults are first seen building or occupying the nest, whichever is earlier, to August 31^st or the date when a bird is last seen at the nest, whichever is later

Additional information

For more information on the Barn Swallow.

For more information on SARA.

Recommended citation

Please cite this document as:

Government of Canada. Species at Risk Act Public Registry. Residence Descriptions. Description of residence for Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Canada. May 2019. (Access date).

References

Barclay, R. M. R. 1988. Variation in the costs, benefits, and frequency of nest reuse by Barn Swallows. Auk 105:53–60.

Bent, A. C. 1942. Life histories of the North American flycatchers, larks, swallows, and their allies. Smithsonian, U.S. Mus. Bull. 179.

BirdLife International and Handbook of the Birds of the World. 2016. Bird species distribution maps of the world. Version 6.0. [accessed November 6, 2017].

Bird Studies Canada. 2013. Creating nesting sites for barn swallows. Summary report. Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON. 14 pp.

Bradley, R. J., J. K. Hubbard, B. R. Jenkins, and R. J. Safran. 2014. Patterns and ecological predictors of age-related performance in female North American barn Swallows Hirundo rustica erythrogaster. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 68:1883–1892.

Brown, C. R. and M. B. Brown. 1999. Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA. [accessed January 20, 2019].

Campbell, W., G. E. J. Smith, M. C. E. McNall, G. W. Kaiser, J. M. Cooper, I. McTaggart-Cowan, and N. K. Dawe. 1997. Birds of British Columbia, Volume 3: Passerines – Flycatchers through Vireos. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver. 696 pp.

COSEWIC. 2011. COSEWIC assessment and status report on the Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. ix + 37 pp.

Heagy, A., D. Badzinski, D. Bradley, M. Falconer, J. McCracken, R. A. Reid, and K. Richardson. 2014. Recovery Strategy for the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) in Ontario. Ontario Recovery Strategy Series. Prepared for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, Ontario. vii + 64 pp.

Mercadante, A. N., and M. T. Stanback. 2011. Out of sight, out of mind? Visual obstructions affect settlement patterns in Barn swallows (Hirundo rustica). The Auk 128(2): 230–236.

Peck, G. K., and R. D. James. 1987. Breeding Birds of Ontario: Nidiology and Distribution. Vol. 2. Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

Richardson, K. 2013. 2013 Barn Swallow nesting structure study – Results. Unpublished report prepared for Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk Fund. Bird Studies Canada, Port Rowan, ON. October 21, 2013. 3 pp.

Safran, R. J. 2004. Adaptive site selection rules and variation in group size of Barn Swallows: individual decisions predict population patterns. American Naturalist 164(2): 121–131.

Safran, R. J. 2006. Nest-site selection in the barn swallow, Hirundo rustica: What predicts seasonal reproductive success? Can. J. Zool. 84: 1533–1539.

Safran, R. J. 2007. Settlement patterns of female barn swallows Hirundo rustica across different group sizes: access to colorful males or favored nests? Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61: 1359–1368.

Samuel, D. E. 1971. The breeding biology of Barn and Cliff swallows in West Virginia. Wilson Bull. 83: 284–301.

Shields, W. M. 1984. Factors affecting nest and site fidelity in Adirondack Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). Auk 101: 780–789.

Van Vleck, R. 2013. Artificial Barn Swallow nests. [accessed January 20, 2019].

Acknowledgement

T. Imlay (Ph.D.) and M. Cadman (Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario) provided valuable data and comments on the reuse of nests by Barn Swallows.