The Barn Swallow is a familiar and popular bird throughout the world. It is one of the most widely distributed bird species, breeding in North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa and wintering in South America, southern Africa, southern Asia and even northern Australia. Its habit of nesting close to human habitation has made this elegant bird a part of farmyard and village life and a welcome herald of spring. This book examines all aspects of the life of this endearing bird, with chapters on its flying skills and feeding habits, mate choice, breeding strategies, nest sites, eggs and incubation, nestling rearing, productivity and survival, migratory behaviour and population dynamics. It also considers changes in populations and behaviour in relation to intensive agriculture and climate change. The Barn Swallow is both engaging and authoritative; birdwatchers will enjoy amazing insights into the life of the species, such as the importance of tail feathers when finding a mate, or the sinister way that some birds kill of the chicks of rivals. Academic scholars will appreciate the book's broad overview of current research on this species.

An important empirical test of the theoretical predictions of sexual selection theory, this book presents a long-term field study of the monagamous barn swallow. By using information on behaviour, ecology, morphology, genetics, and evolution, the book reviews this theory and its twocomponents: male-male competition and female choice.The selective advantages of a long tail are investigated for this common bird, demonstrating such effects as mating behaviour, copulation behaviour, migration strategies, and host-parasite interactions.A rich informative text which clearly elucidates the mechanisms and consequences of sexual selection.

In this true story I chronicled a family of barn swallows as they scouted for a nest site until the babies fledged and flew away.

On a fall day in a park, a barn swallow spreads its wings and takes off into the air to start a very long journey. The little bird travels thousands of miles during its migration south for the winter. After reaching its warm winter home, the barn swallow finds plenty of food as it zigzags through the air catching insects. By early spring, it’s time to return north. In this dramatic and colorful book, beginning readers will learn all about where barn swallows go in the winter and the amazing ways they survive—including traveling in large groups, some as large as one million birds. Each 24-page book features controlled text with age-appropriate vocabulary and simple sentence construction. The lively text, colorful design, and exquisite photos are sure to delight and engage emergent readers.

The Barn Swallow is a familiar and popular bird throughout theworld. It is one of the most widely distributed bird species, breedingin North America, Europe, Asia and North Africa and wintering in SouthAmerica, southern Africa, southern Asia and even northern Australia.Its habit of nesting close to human habitation has made this elegantbird a part of farmyard and village life and a welcome herald ofspring. This book examines all aspects of the life of this endearing bird, with chapters on its flyingskills and feeding habits, mate choice, breeding strategies, nestsites, eggs and incubation, nestling rearing, productivity andsurvival, migratory behaviour and population dynamics. It also considers changes in populations and behaviour in relation to intensive agriculture and climate change. The Barn Swallow is both engaging and authoritative;birdwatchers will enjoy amazing insights into the life of the species,such as the importance of tail feathers when finding a mate, or thesinister way that some birds kill of the chicks of rivals. Academicscholars will appreciate the book's broad overview of current researchon this species.

From the bestselling author of The Robin, The Wren and The Twelve Birds of Christmas. With around 700,000 breeding pairs, the swallow is one of the most familiar birds in Britain. Though we consider the swallow to be 'our' bird, we also share this beloved creature with millions of others across the globe. Whilst we see it on a daily basis for half the year, the swallow then flies south to Africa, living on only in our memory in the long, dark winter. In The Swallow Stephen Moss documents a year of observing the swallow close to home and in the field to shed light on the secret life of this extraordinary bird. We trace the swallow's life cycle and journey, including the epic 12,000-mile round trip it takes every year, to enable it to enjoy a life of almost eternal sunshine, and the key part the swallow plays in our traditional and popular culture. With beautiful illustrations throughout, this captivating year-in-the-life biography reveals the hidden secrets of this charismatic and beautiful bird. PRAISE FOR STEPHEN MOSS: 'A superb naturalist and writer' Chris Packham 'Inspired, friendly and blessed with apparently limitless knowledge' Peter Marren 'Moss has carved out an enviable niche as a chronicler of the natural world' Daily Mail