Birds evolve shorter wings in response to car traffic

I know barn swallows well. They do like nesting under bridges but only where there is water and a large open area. They fly throughout the 100 feet above the ground and also fly extremely low within a few inches of the ground and fly into each other which I doubt the study takes into account. They also sometimes sit in the road. Amazing aerial maneuvers they perform throughout their ceiling.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by bnw.
• This reply was modified 8 years ago by bnw.

nittany ram wrote:

bnw wrote:

I know barn swallows well. They do like nesting under bridges but only where there is water and a large open area. They fly throughout the 100 feet above the ground and also fly extremely low within a few inches of the ground and fly into each other which I doubt the study takes into account. They also sometimes sit in the road. Amazing aerial maneuvers they perform throughout their ceiling.

When I was but a wee lad we had barn swallows nesting under our rain gutters (or spouting as we used to say in central PA) for a few years. The nesting pair would mercilessly dive bomb our cat. She was a beautiful calico named Mitty who was under constant attack from the moment she stepped outside until she got about 50 – 75 feet from the house. They didn’t attack people so much but our cat was always a target.

They can be very aggressive at times. They frequently fly directly at me then turn within a few feet of me. The wind off their wings when they make their turn is a bit unsettling. When they are in a large swarm (easily 100 or more birds) they can come at you from any direction too. To think of all the energy expended eating very small insects it doesn’t seem to be enough food given the exertion. Beautiful birds though.