Where swallows winter. Migratory bird swallow: description with photos and pictures, interesting facts, where it hibernates, what it eats, the meaning of the swallow

Barn swallow (killer whale) (Hirundo rustica), a bird of the swallow family. Body length 18-23 cm, weight about 20 g. The top of the body is blue-black with a purple tint, the same color is a wide strip across the chest, the throat is brown-red, the abdomen is white. The wings are long and pointed. The outer tail feathers are elongated (forming pigtails, hence the second name), as a result of which the tail looks deeply carved. The beak is short, but the slit of the mouth is very wide. The flight is fast and agile. It feeds exclusively on insects, which it catches on the fly. To breed offspring, the barn swallow builds under a canopy a cup-shaped nest, attached sideways to a vertical surface and open from above, made of wet earth or clay, interspersed with grass and straw. In the last century, killer whales almost everywhere switched to nesting in human buildings.

Barn swallows nest almost throughout Eurasia (in Russia - south of the forest-tundra) and North America, as well as in northern Africa. In the south of the range, chicks are bred twice, in the north - once. In the tropics, these birds are sedentary, in temperate latitudes they are migratory. Swallows are very noticeable birds, it is not for nothing that their arrival means the arrival of spring for us, and the disappearance - the approach of winter.

For a long time, people did not know where the swallows hibernate. Even K. Linnaeus claimed that they spend the winter in hibernation at the bottom of the sea. Probably, such a conclusion is due to the fact that before flying, barn swallows tend to accumulate in coastal reed beds, where they usually spend the night, and in the morning set off on a long journey and reappear only in spring. In fact, barn swallows make the longest migrations among passerines. European killer whales winter in Africa, where they sometimes become the dominant bird species in some areas. More than 9 thousand km they can fly from nesting places to wintering places, overcoming this distance in two to three months. Birds fly south in large flocks during the day, and at sunset they fall to rest.

Different European populations of the Barn Swallow are clearly associated with specific wintering areas on the African continent. Barn swallows from Great Britain winter in the eastern and southern regions of South Africa. Birds of Western and Central European populations overwinter in a wide band extending from Liberia in the west to the central and southern regions of the Congo (Zaire) in the east. Those swallows that nest in Eastern Europe fly over Southern Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa during the autumn migration, and then change their course from the southwest to the southeast or south. The same birds that nest in Northern or Central Europe, on the contrary, first migrate to the southeast, and then turn south. The spring flight to Western and Central Europe takes a different route - swallows make a loop over the eastern regions of the Mediterranean.

The swallow is perhaps the most famous migratory or migratory bird in the entire world. Since ancient times, philosophers such as Aristotle and poets such as Becker have wondered where these birds, which are a symbol of fidelity, maternal happiness and good luck in the home, migrate. We will reveal the question of where swallows winter.

General information about swallows

Before proceeding directly to the answer to the question of where swallows winter, it is necessary to get to know these birds better. The swallow is a bird whose main diet is insects, most often flies. The swallow very rarely sits on the ground and catches its food in the process of flight. The bird has a short neck and a relatively flat beak, its wings are long and pointed. The color of the feathers of the common swallow is black-blue with a characteristic metallic sheen. Swallows fly very fast and in flight demonstrate their perfect art of body control.

An interesting feature of swallows is the fact that males and females are very similar to each other, while in most bird species, males have more colorful plumage than females.

Swallow nests are built in hollows of trees, on the slopes of ravines, and also under the roofs of houses. The world knows 88 various kinds swallows, in Russia there are about 10 species, the most common of which in the middle zone of our country is the barn swallow.

Since ancient times, the swallow has been associated with humans. Birds make their nests of mud and straw in sheds, hangars and under the roofs of various village buildings. The swallow helps man in agriculture, as it controls the population of harmful insects that serve as food for the bird.

Knowing now what the swallow eats and where this little bird lives, let's move on to a description of interesting facts.

It is curious to note that these little birds use a rather complex language to communicate with each other, for this they use different body positions and movements during the flight, as well as different sound signals. The sounds that swallows make can mean danger, the flirting of the male and female during the mating season, the call from the parents for their offspring to return to the nest, and some others.

Another interesting fact about the swallow is that this bird has an amazing memory. An adult is able to find the nest that she made last year. In addition, the swallow even remembers where she was born.

Raising offspring

Swallows mate for life, so they are synonymous with fidelity. The female lays 3 to 6 eggs. Thanks to the maneuverability and speed of their flight, these birds can easily catch a large number of insects that feed their chicks. Feeding offspring is a rather difficult job, since the chicks of one nest eat about 1.2 kg of insects, and their parents feed them up to 400 times a day!

Where do swallows live?

The question of where swallows winter is directly related to their habitats on our planet. This bird raises its offspring in Europe, Asia, North America and Africa. In addition, it can be found in the southern hemisphere of the planet in northern Australia, southern Argentina and southern Africa. In these regions, the swallow hibernates.

Thus, swallows raise their offspring in the Northern Hemisphere. The only place in the Southern Hemisphere where the swallow gives birth to her offspring is the pampas of Argentina.

Below is a picture in which dark green marks the places in the world where swallows breed in summer time, light green indicates areas where swallows fly for the winter, and yellow indicates where the birds live all year round.

Let us now open the question of when the swallows fly away to warmer climes. Swallows arrive in Russia in the middle of spring, approximately in April, and they fly away for wintering to warmer climes in autumn. In spring, adults build nests, females lay eggs. Then, throughout the summer, both parents are involved in feeding and raising their offspring. From late September to mid-October, you can see how entire families of these birds gather in flocks and prepare for their long journey.

Swallows migrate in both small flocks and large flocks. It is interesting to note that the lifestyle of swifts is similar to that of swallows, that is, they also make nests in the Northern Hemisphere, and go to the southern part of the African continent for wintering.

Knowing where swifts and swallows winter, let us now turn to the question of the distances that these birds cover during migration. According to general estimates, a swallow flies a distance of 71,000 km during the year. For comparison, we note that the circumference of the globe at the latitude of the equator is 40,000 km, that is, in 1 year the swallow flies around the world almost twice. During the day, a swallow can fly about 200 km. Birds arrive at the wintering place 50-70 days after the start of their journey.

If we consider the question of where swallows fly from Russia for the winter, then given the huge size of our country, as well as a dozen species of swallows that live on its territory, we can say that the birds migrate to southern Africa and to the countries of Southeast Asia such like Indonesia, Malaysia and others.

Reasons for the decline in swallow populations

Considering the question of where swallows winter, it should be said about the size of their population. Studies in recent decades have shown that the populations of these migratory birds in Europe and Russia decreased by 35% between 1990 and 2011.

The main reasons for the decline in the number of swallows are the following:

  • area reduction rural settlements in favor of the city. It is difficult for swallows in large cities to find material for building their nests.
  • Significant increase in the amount of insecticides used in crop areas, which reduces the nutrient base for birds.
  • Destruction of nests of swallows by humans.
  • Climate change in recent years. Global warming all over the world leads to the fact that in October the weather is still warm, as a result, the swallows delay their flight. Starting to migrate closer to winter, the birds risk dying from the cold during the flight.

Myths and legends associated with swallows

The swallow has inspired man throughout history. So, in Africa it is a symbol of purity, in China it is a symbol of family happiness, in ancient Greece this bird was considered the standard of insight.

In the Middle Ages and New Ages, when sailors saw swallows on a ship, they knew that the land was close. They also made tattoos of swallows on their bodies, which reflected the experience of such a sailor in maritime art.

If the swallow dreamed - this is a good sign. For example, if in a dream a bird made a nest in a house, then happiness and prosperity await this family.

Finally, finishing answering the question of where the swallows winter, it should be said that these birds are a symbol of spring, since it is they who bring joy to millions of people with their arrival and cheerful cries after a long and cold winter.

In this article, you will learn about the name of the city swallow, get to know her appearance, features of vital activity and nesting of this species. It can be seen on almost all inhabited continents, where it winters or nests. It is predominantly an urban bird, preferring to build its nests on houses. The city swallow loves to circle in the upper layers of the air, rising to a great height before the onset of bad weather, and during and after rain, describe circles above the ground, catching insects that it frightens. During such a hunt, it prefers a wide space for flight. She is rarely seen hunting in narrow alleys.

Although the voice of the funnel sounds rather weak, it is quite often heard during the flight. In most countries, it is considered a sin to destroy the nests that this bird creates. The city swallow is slightly smaller in size than the sparrow. It is believed that if she settled under the roof of the house, then this promises happiness to all its inhabitants.

City swallow: description

The upper part of the plumage is dominated by black, which acquires a blue tint in the light. The bottom from the beak to the tail is bright white, while the notch on the tail is rather shallow. The paws of the bird are completely covered with feathers up to the claws. Outwardly, it is impossible to distinguish the female from the male. In addition, there are no seasonal differences in plumage. Even in young chicks, the coloration is similar to that of adults, although the upper body remains black and gray for some time.

The blue tint in young birds is rather weakly expressed, and brown stains are present on the sides and chest. Due to the bright white loin and the absence of a dark band, this bird is easy to distinguish among similar species even at a considerable distance. The average weight of the city swallow ranges from 18-20 g with a length of 15-17 cm. It is noteworthy that, despite the fact that the length of the wings does not exceed 12 cm, their wingspan reaches 33 cm.

Lifestyle

The arrival in the spring period is quite extended, most of the birds begin to arrive at the beginning of the blooming of greenery, and the rest returns only by the end of May. Previously, this species preferred to settle on the rocks, but now their settlements can be found on stone buildings. Funnel in pursuit of prey can reach speeds of up to 45 km / h, managing at such a speed not only to eat, but also to quench their thirst. It flies over water sources with an outstretched neck, thanks to which it manages to scoop it up with its beak.

In addition, in flight, they can completely swim several times, flying over water. Swallows prefer not to descend directly to the ground, using mainly the tops of trees or wires for rest.

Habitat

Between themselves, they usually live quite peacefully, preferring even to create housing in groups. Unlike other birds, they do not need to protect the hunting territory, because midges in the summer are enough for everyone. The city swallow is distributed almost throughout Eurasia, up to the extreme north. At the same time, the distribution in cities is uneven, in different areas it can be either a common or an unusually rare bird. These migratory birds return to their native lands as soon as the first greenery appears on the trees, willingly settling in last year's nests. In mountainous places they nest in colonies, attaching the same nests on the rocks as those that they build in cities.

Nesting features

With the onset of spring, swallows tend to return to the same area where they nested earlier. Usually the most preserved nests are occupied by those birds that arrived first. The rest have to choose a place to build it soon after arrival, usually in the morning or evening. Most often, city swallows settle in colonies, in which there are from 10 to 100 nests. There may also be nests of individual pairs. In their shape, their dwellings resemble 1/4 of the ball. They equip them under eaves, balconies, beams and other areas of the house closed from the rain, creating nests from small lumps of damp mud. The immediate timing of the start of egg laying directly depends on the conditions in which the funnel has to live, and the moment when the number of insects in the air will increase to the maximum. So, for example, in the northern regions, the city swallow manages to breed only one offspring, and closer to the central and southern regions, there are usually two clutches.

The first to appear in places suitable for cohabitation are males, who attract females, sometimes starting to build nests alone. However, most couples are formed during the flight, so often by the time the future home is set up, the couple works together.

Protecting the nest from sparrows

Houses of urban swallows can often be chosen by sparrows. Most often they occupy them at a time when the swallows have not yet completed the construction, and the size of the hole in their dwelling remains sufficient for the sparrow to fly there without any problems. When the construction of the house is completely completed, the hole in it will be so small that the sparrow can no longer penetrate. It is noteworthy that in the competition for housing, the struggle sometimes reaches a critical point.

In some cases, sparrows take over the habitable nests of funnels, often killing their immediate owners. At the same time, the swallows, seeing that they cannot drive away the invader, simply wall it up inside. Thanks to universal technology nest building is preserved in good condition for several years, so birds are provided with permanent nesting sites.

The main points in the arrangement of the nest

Funnels prefer to build nests close to each other. The main materials for the construction are wet earth and small mud clods. They find mud along the edges of puddles. In order to obtain an optimal clod of dirt, the bird vigorously pecks at the ground. In most cases, the swallow's nest is built by both birds. Depending on the weather conditions of the nesting season, the time required for construction rarely exceeds three weeks, taking between 3 and 10 days for the most part.

The nest is attached at the same time by the side part and the top. The inlet is located in the upper part of the nest, which allows you to optimally protect the chicks from the weather. The swallow's nest is lined inside with small feathers, down, soft fibers of plant origin, pieces of dry moss. In the absence of these materials, birds willingly replace them with pieces of tow, thread and cotton wool. Its width on the outside rarely exceeds 30 cm, height 12 cm, and length 15 cm. On the inside, the height of the tray rarely exceeds 3 cm.

masonry

The clutch contains about five white eggs with a very thin shell, which the parents incubate in turn for two weeks. The eggs have a sharply rounded blunt end and a gradually sharpened other pole. Newborn chicks have sparse light gray down. Oral cavity chicks are yellow. The swallow chick is completely helpless in the first days of its life. That is why, for most of the day, the female heats the chicks, and the male provides them enough nutrition. In bad weather, the mother takes part in fishing, as a result of which she is forced to leave offspring. City swallows prefer to hunt in clear weather.

Attacking insects, they soar up. At this time, they can often be seen over open areas. In inclement weather, birds prefer to fly much closer to the ground and less frequently. Unlike the village swallow, the city swallow feeds not only her chicks, but also the chicks in neighboring nests, without making significant differences between them and simply bringing the caught midge to the nearest nest.

Chick development

The duration of incubation depends on weather conditions and ranges from several weeks - in good weather, and a month - in bad weather. Both parents are engaged in incubation and further feeding of the young. The chicks stay in the nest for no more than three weeks. During this period, they manage to go through all the stages of formation, become sighted and feather, starting to resemble adult birds as much as possible. At the end of the second week, they are already starting to fly out of the nest. At first, the swallow chick prefers to stay close to the nest, as adults continue to feed it.

Only by autumn, young animals gather in flocks and, following the example of their parents, begin to lead a nomadic lifestyle, feeding on their own until departure. In autumn, before flying to warmer climes, one can quite often see funnels sitting on telegraph wires, wire fences or flying high above fields and meadows. Since funnels are migratory birds, with the onset of the first cold weather, one can observe how they fly off to winter in South Africa or southern Asia.

Feeding the chicks

During the feeding period of chicks, funnels destroy a very impressive number of various insects. During the day, each of the parents flies up to the chicks with food about three hundred times. In addition, when feeding several broods during the summer, a pair of funnels catches about a million insects. The speed at which the development of chicks will occur also depends on to a large extent from weather conditions. If there is not too much precipitation during the summer period, it is not difficult for parents to provide them with the right amount of food, but if the weather is unfavorable, the chicks often have to starve. In case of early onset of cold weather, parents are forced to leave their chicks to die of hunger, going to warmer climes.

Caring for chicks

The care of adults about the chicks is reduced to their heating, constant feeding, cleaning the dwelling from their feces, as well as repair and protection. At the same time, most often it has to be protected from swallows, which have not yet had time to build their nests. In the first days of life, the chicks receive minimal portions of food, consisting exclusively of small insects.

During the first week after the appearance of the chicks, there are breaks in heating from the side of the parents, and later they completely stop warming the chicks during the daytime, concentrating exclusively on the extraction of food. At a week old, chicks sit during the day for the most part with a raised head, thanks to which the feeding procedure is greatly simplified. For chicks aged two weeks and older, pecking movements are characteristic.

What do city swallows eat?

Funnels eat mainly flying insects: from small beetles to midges. Much less often you can see the capture of butterflies, grasshoppers and spiders. Birds prefer to hunt for insects by flying over open areas. In inclement weather, they try not to hunt, waiting out this time in nests, or they fly in to warm up and dry off in the premises, huddling in heaps in attics. During prolonged bad weather, an extremely large number of swallows die, which cannot endure a prolonged period of stupor.

flights

City birds, including funnel-bills, prefer to fly south in small groups or in a continuous sparse and amorphous stream, migrating exclusively during the daytime. The period of departure from large cities begins mainly in August, in the steppe zone it can be delayed until early October. They winter mainly in southern Africa and Asia.

Attracting swallows to cities

Funnels can be attracted to nesting artificially. The only thing you need to do for this is to equip artificial nests, building them in the likeness of real ones. Gypsum, cement mixed with sawdust is perfect as the main material. In the absence of these materials, you can even use papier-mâché, which is hung under the roofs.

Keep in mind that all city birds, including swallows, will be much more willing to settle in your city if they find a sufficient number of suitable nesting sites. It is for this that special shelves should be nailed under the cornices or containers with wet clay should be placed outside the windows. If there are still places nearby where swallows can catch insects, then they can easily be attracted to your area.

Despite its miniature size, the funnel swallow is a tireless worker. Seeing their appearance in the spring, we are looking forward to warmth with joy and impatience and understand that spring has come. This is probably why all people love these first messengers of warmth and deeply believe that the birds that settled under the roof of the house will bring happiness to its inhabitants.

Autumn is the time when you can watch flocks of migratory birds heading to warm countries. Where do birds fly for the winter, and which birds are classified as migratory? Birds that prefer to stay for the winter in their region are called sedentary. Among them are pigeons, sparrows, tits, and crossbills are able to breed in the most severe frosts.

wandering birds

There are nomadic birds - they fly away only in very severe cold, and with a relatively warm winter they can stay in their region. it carduelis, schury, siskin, waxwings, bullfinches. gray crows and rooks in the northern regions roam, and in the south they remain sedentary. Some birds roam only in years that are unfavorable for their food, for example, if there are not enough seeds of coniferous plants - among these species:

  • waxwings,
  • crossbills,
  • nuts,
  • tits,
  • tap dances and others.

Migratory birds

Migratory birds migrating for the winter include:

The reason for their migration is the lack of food, disappearance of caterpillars, larvae in winter and other insects that form the basis of the bird's diet. Of the forest birds, about half will fly away for wintering, but from the tundra or taiga, from the wetlands, almost all types of feathered inhabitants will go to places of warm wintering.

When choosing where to fly for the winter, most species will prefer familiar conditions. Forest dwellers will choose forest regions for wintering, meadows - meadows or fields, steppe inhabitants will find a new place of residence in the steppes. Here they will find the usual food and environment, similar to those in their homeland.

When choosing where to fly, the birds will focus both on the final destination - the place of the future wintering, and on the opportunity to feed themselves in the process of a long journey. Therefore, the route of migratory birds does not run in a straight line to the wintering place, but contains various bends, turns and stops where they rest and feed. In the route of their flight, they will also follow the usual terrain - forests, fields, steppes. If the path runs through the desert - Karakum, Sahara, Libyan desert- migratory species tend to fly through these places as quickly as possible.

Birds are guided by an unmistakable instinct - sometimes the young, who do not know the way, fly away earlier than more experienced individuals. During the flight, birds exchange signals similar to an echo. Some species fly during the day, others prefer to travel at night and rest during the day. Usually females and males travel at the same time, with the exception of finches (their females fly away for the winter earlier) and storks (their males arrive in their permanent habitats before females).

It is those species of birds that feed on insects that are the first to leave their nests before spring. Swallows and swifts set off immediately upon the approach of autumn, in August, at the first night cooling. Swans, ducks and geese are the last to fly to wintering grounds: this happens when the temperature drops below zero, the rivers are covered with a crust of ice and forage becomes impossible.

Migration routes of migratory birds

Ducks go to the Balkans, swans fly to Greece and Great Britain. Starlings go to the Mediterranean coast. Wagtails fly to Africa or Asia, they also often choose India for wintering. Thrushes like to winter in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. Cranes go further - to Egypt, to the Nile River. Dubrovnik bunting flies from the Moskva River and the Oka through Siberia to South China.

To establish where birds fly for the winter, ornithologists use the ringing method. Some waterfowl are known to winter in Russia. Snowy owl from the tundra flies to the Central Russian forest-steppe, seagulls will go to the Sea of ​​Azov or to the south of the Caspian Sea. Many migratory birds choose Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan for wintering - large concentrations of finches, ducks, geese are observed here, during the wintering period, and reserves are specially created in these regions.

There is a unique case - polar terns fly to Antarctica for wintering, due to the presence of food, which is typical for cold Antarctic water.

Airspeed

The flight speed of birds during migration is relatively low. One of the slowest is the quail - it flies at a speed of approximately 40 km / h, among the fastest include the black swift (160 km / h). But, during the flight, birds can spend a lot of time on parking, and in general they long journeys- for example, to Africa - can stretch for 2 - 4 months. The speed of spring migration during the return of migratory species is higher - in spring the birds return home faster than in winter they fly for the winter.

    The swallow, this graceful and beautiful little bird, is a migratory bird.

    Swallows of western populations choose hot Africa for their wintering, just south of the Sahara desert. There they are, cute, and hibernate.

    Oriental species of swallows choose the south of China, the foothills of the Himalayas and Southeast Asia for their wintering.

    Swallows prefer to migrate during the day, while it is still light.

    Look at the infographic, which shows that Russian swallows do not fly away somewhere to warm up and wait out the winter, but swallows from Russia spend the winter in Albania, Algeria, and Morocco. Swallows are divided into species and each species prefers its own wintering grounds.

    There are a lot of swallows on the ground. Some species live exclusively in Eurasia, and in summer such species of swallows are common throughout the continent from Spain to Far East, others live in Africa or America. We will not touch them and see where the most common Russian swallows winter. First of all, one of the most common swallows in our country is the city swallow, which is found in all cities. She winters relatively far away, preferring to fly over the equator and stop in South Africa. Another, no less common swallow, the Shore, does not fly that far, preferring to winter in Southeast Asia or Saudi Arabia, although it can also be found in Kenya or Madagascar in winter. The famous orca swallow goes to South Africa, India, Indonesia and even to the north of Australia for the winter.

    Oddly enough, swallows are migratory birds and winter in southern countries. The route of the migration of swallows is quite complicated and takes up to 3 months in time. The barn swallow, which is widespread in our country, has a size of about 20 cm and weighs about 20 grams.

    Swallows, like any other birds, fly to warm countries.

    Swallows are afraid not only of cold, but also of rain, gathering in flocks, they fly to the Mediterranean, Africa and other southern countries.

    They will have to fly to the Southern countries for 3-4 months, and in one night they can cover about 500 km.

    But when spring comes, the swallows return to where they came from.

    Swallows fly to us in the spring, when everything is already green and begin to build nests near the dwellings of people, they are especially happy when they return to their old nests.

    There are a lot of signs and superstitions associated with swallows, they say that you can’t destroy the swallow’s nest, something bad will happen, or if the swallow flies low above the ground, then it will rain ...

    As it turned out, swallows are afraid not only of cold weather, but also of rain. With the onset of cold weather, they fly to southern or eastern Africa. In one day they can cover a distance of 500 kilometers. The hardiest swallows from North America can fly up to 40,000 kilometers in a year. When the usual ones are around 12000. But no matter where the swallows go, they always return to where they came from. Like other birds, the migration process takes place in large flocks. However, the swallows different countries Europe and Russia fly in different directions and winter in different places not only in Africa, but also in Asia. During a long flight, swallows catch small drops of water to quench their thirst.

    Irina, good afternoon! Swallows winter in the south, and swifts too, they are migratory.

    We have three species of swallows, and each species hibernates differently:

    the city swallow prefers to spend the winter in South Africa;

    shoreline - in Saudi Arabia, but sometimes reaches Madagascar;

    killer whale changes preferences, poured into different parts of the world: South Africa, India or northern Australia.

    When autumn comes, it gets cold, the swallows suddenly disappear. We all know that they fly to warmer climes. But in ancient times it was believed that swallows hibernate, while it was believed that they climbed to the bottom of the reservoir and burrowed into the silt. But no one thought, what then did they breathe all winter at the bottom of the pond in silt.

    This legend went because the swallows often gathered in flocks near the reservoirs before flying away.

    And only in 1740, the German scientist Johann Frisch tried to prove that swallows fly away. He thought of tying a red silk thread to their foot. He was able to capture some of his tagged birds. It would seem that the proof is there. But only in 1899, when ornithologists began ringing birds, it was proved and found out where which birds hibernate.

    Our swallows were found in South Africa.

    Swallows cannot winter in a region where the temperature drops even to 0 degrees in autumn, not to mention regions where it is -10.

    These are crows, sparrows and pigeons can easily winter even in Siberia, and they are very thermophilic and fly away to hot, tropical countries. The most popular countries for them are Egypt, Algeria, Africa and Morocco, but now the climate in the world is changing and the swallows are beginning to expand their wintering halo.

    For example, swallows that live in the north of Central Asia fly to India for the winter.

    And from Russia, swallows can winter in Africa and Australia. In general, they hibernate where there is no winter and it is hot all year round.

    Family Swallow has 79 species of swallows. Swallows are distributed all over the world, except for cold latitudes (they are not found in the Arctic and Antarctic).

    Swallows that live in warm countries lead a sedentary way of life.

    Swallows that live in northern countries fly away for the winter to warmer climes.

    For example, swallows that nest in Europe, fly away for the winter to Africa (to the northern and northeastern regions, sometimes they reach the central and even southern regions).