An attention-grabbing chook title is “swallow.” In late Previous English and Center English it meant “gulf, abyss, gap within the earth, whirlpool,” additionally, in Center English, “throat, gullet.” The title apparently caught to the birds due to their dizzying, whirlpool-like flight, or their voracious consuming habits. A
In Historic Greece, swallows had been related to Aphrodite. As well as, they had been bearers of fine luck. They had been related to the gods, in addition to the souls of the lifeless. The traditional Greeks allegedly believed gods may take new kind as swallows, and harming a type of birds may deliver unhealthy fortune. Greeks additionally had some attention-grabbing concepts about their migration.
The Northern Tough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) is so-called as a result of its main feathers are edged with small hooks, a characteristic you’ll be able to solely detect by operating a finger alongside the feather. The genus title means “scraper wing” and the species title “noticed wing.” These constructions, which would appear to extend turbulence most likely serve to easy airflow over the wings, if a analysis paper on swift wings applies, however I haven’t discovered any such research of swallows.
The Northern Tough-winged Swallow is a small chook species discovered within the Americas, from southern Canada to South America. This swallow is without doubt one of the smaller swallow species, with a size of about 5 inches (13 cm) and a wingspan of roughly 10 inches (25 cm). It has a brownish-gray again and wings and a pale grayish-brown throat. Its underparts are gentle grey, and its tail is barely forked.
These swallows feed nearly solely on flying bugs, intercepting them with a low, gliding flight over water or open floor, with a slower and smoother wingbeat than different swallows. In contrast to different swallow species, the Northern Tough-winged Swallow constructs a cup nest in hillside burrows or crevices and culverts in human constructions. They usually breed a few times a yr, with clutches of 4-5 eggs. In contrast to the same Financial institution Swallow that nests in colonies, the Northern Tough-winged Swallow nests solitarily.
Within the fall, most populations migrate to Central and South America, although heat areas such because the Texas Gulf Coast and southern Florida host populations yr spherical.
A subspecies of the Tough-winged Swallow is called the Southern Tough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx ruficollis serripennis),discovered within the southern a part of the Tough-winged Swallow’s vary, from Mexico to South America. The Southern Tough-winged Swallow is comparable in look to the nominate subspecies, but it surely has a darker and extra uniform gray-brown again and wings, and a extra contrasting rufous collar on its neck. The Southern Tough-winged Swallow additionally has a barely longer invoice and a bigger wing space than the nominate subspecies.
The same Financial institution Swallows have a forked tail, in contrast to Northern Tough-winged Swallows which have square-tipped tail. Financial institution Swallows additionally glide with a extra apparent bend within the wings than rough-winged. In comparison with the Northern Tough-winged Swallow, the Financial institution Swallow has a crisp brown chest band and comparatively dainty construct.