[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":261},["ShallowReactive",2],{"families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye":3,"alt-locale:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye":116,"section-listing:families_en:\u002Fsemeystva":117,"section-listing:disabled":254,"related-covers:en:\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye|\u002Fsemeystva|\u002Fopredelitel":255},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"coverImage":76,"description":77,"extension":78,"faq":79,"imagePrompt":89,"latinName":20,"meta":90,"navigation":91,"order":92,"pageType":93,"path":94,"publishedAt":95,"readingMinutes":96,"relatedLinks":97,"seo":110,"sitemap":113,"stem":114,"taxonRank":93,"updatedAt":92,"__hash__":115},"families_en\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye.md","Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae)",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":68},"minimark",[9,14,22,25,29,32,35,39,61,65],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"what-makes-hirundinidae-a-family","What makes Hirundinidae a family",[15,16,17,21],"p",{},[18,19,20],"strong",{},"Hirundinidae",", the swallow family, comprises around 90 species of highly aerial songbirds found on every continent except Antarctica, unified by long, pointed wings, a streamlined body built for fast, sustained, and remarkably agile flight, and a wide, short beak adapted for snatching insects directly out of the air. Unlike many songbird families that forage mainly on the ground or among foliage, Hirundinidae species spend the great majority of their waking hours airborne, feeding, and often even socializing on the wing.",[15,23,24],{},"Both species covered in this atlas build nests entirely from mud, collected one small pellet at a time and shaped into a cup or dome using the bird's own beak and saliva, a distinctive construction method shared broadly across the family, even as the exact resulting nest shape varies depending on the specific nesting site each species favors.",[10,26,28],{"id":27},"distinctive-traits-across-the-family","Distinctive traits across the family",[15,30,31],{},"The two species covered here illustrate a meaningful architectural divide within the family: the barn swallow builds an open cup nest, typically sited on a sheltered indoor beam or ledge protected from rain by a roof overhead, while the house martin constructs a mostly enclosed, dome-shaped nest with only a small entrance hole, usually fixed to an exposed outdoor wall beneath an eave — a structure that compensates for its more exposed outdoor location with a more fully protective shape.",[15,33,34],{},"Social structure also varies meaningfully within the family: barn swallows tend to nest more individually or in loosely associated small groups, while house martins are markedly more colonial, often building dense clusters of nests side by side under the eaves of a single favored building.",[10,36,38],{"id":37},"species-in-this-family","Species in this family",[15,40,41,42,47,48,52,53,47,57,60],{},"This atlas currently covers two members of Hirundinidae: the ",[43,44,46],"a",{"href":45},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fderevenskaya-lastochka","barn swallow"," (",[49,50,51],"em",{},"Hirundo rustica","), famous for its deeply forked tail streamers and one of the longest migrations of any small songbird; and the ",[43,54,56],{"href":55},"\u002Fen\u002Fvidy-ptic\u002Fvidy\u002Fgorodskaya-lastochka","common house martin",[49,58,59],{},"Delichon urbicum","), easily told apart by its clean white rump and colonial nesting habits. Further Hirundinidae species native to the atlas's covered regions will be added to the catalogue over time.",[10,62,64],{"id":63},"where-and-when-to-watch-this-family","Where and when to watch this family",[15,66,67],{},"Open farmland, water bodies, and villages or towns with traditional buildings offering suitable nest sites are the most reliable places to encounter this family, and because both species covered here are long-distance migrants, they are present only from spring through early autumn across nearly their entire Eurasian breeding range. Warm, calm days with abundant flying insects typically bring the most active and visible foraging behavior, while cold or wet spells can temporarily reduce activity dramatically as insect prey becomes scarce.",{"title":69,"searchDepth":70,"depth":70,"links":71},"",2,[72,73,74,75],{"id":12,"depth":70,"text":13},{"id":27,"depth":70,"text":28},{"id":37,"depth":70,"text":38},{"id":63,"depth":70,"text":64},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye.png","The swallow family: sleek, long-winged aerial insect-hunters that spend most of their waking lives on the wing, from the red-throated barn swallow to the white-rumped house martin.","md",[80,83,86],{"q":81,"a":82},"What physical traits define the swallow family?","Hirundinidae species share long, pointed wings and a streamlined, aerodynamic body built for sustained, highly maneuverable flight, a wide, short beak adapted for catching insects directly in the air rather than gleaning them from surfaces, and a lifestyle centered almost entirely on aerial foraging, feeding, and even much of their social behavior while airborne.",{"q":84,"a":85},"Why do swallows and martins build such different-looking mud nests?","Both groups within this family construct nests from mud pellets collected and shaped one beak-load at a time, but nest architecture varies by species and nesting context: the barn swallow typically builds an open cup on a sheltered indoor ledge, while the house martin constructs an almost fully enclosed dome with a small entrance hole on an exposed outdoor wall — different solutions to providing adequate protection depending on where each species chooses to nest.",{"q":87,"a":88},"Why are so many Hirundinidae species long-distance migrants?","Because the family depends entirely on flying insects for food, and insect activity drops sharply in cold weather, most swallow and martin species breeding at higher latitudes must migrate to warmer regions where flying insects remain available through the winter months, driving some of the longest and most well-documented migratory journeys of any small songbird family, including regular travel between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.","Photorealistic wildlife photography, a barn swallow and a common house martin flying together low over a calm farmyard pond at dusk, contrasting red-throated and white-rumped plumage visible mid-flight, sharp focus on the swallow's eye in the foreground, soft-focus background of reflected evening sky and blurred barn silhouette, warm golden-hour backlight, shallow depth of field, telephoto lens compression, 16:9",{},true,null,"family","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Flastochkovye","13.07.2026",1,[98,102,106],{"label":99,"path":100,"description":101},"Buntings (Emberizidae)","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye","Another common farmland-associated songbird family",{"label":103,"path":104,"description":105},"Bird families","\u002Fsemeystva","Species grouped by taxonomic family",{"label":107,"path":108,"description":109},"Bird identifier","\u002Fopredelitel","Identify a bird you've seen by color, size, beak shape, habitat, and season",{"title":111,"description":112},"Swallows and Martins (Hirundinidae) — traits and species","Hirundinidae, the swallow family: sleek aerial insect-hunters, from the red-throated barn swallow to the white-rumped house martin. Traits, species, and migration.",{"loc":94},"semeystva\u002Flastochkovye","jDRY46dyOI4ctu3L96Bey9Bd_41j4n1SorCV205SlEE",{"ru":91,"es":91},[118,121,126,131,136,141,147,152,157,162,167,172,177,182,187,192,197,203,208,213,214,219,224,229,234,239,244,249],{"title":99,"description":119,"path":100,"coverImage":120,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"The bunting family: sturdy, seed-eating farmland and open-country songbirds represented here by the vividly yellow-headed yellowhammer, one of Europe's most familiar hedgerow singers.","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fovsyankovye.png",{"title":122,"description":123,"path":124,"coverImage":125,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Crows, Ravens, and Allies (Corvidae)","The crow family: some of the most intelligent birds on Earth, from the tiny, sociable jackdaw to the giant common raven, united by cognitive sophistication and remarkable behavioral flexibility.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvranovye.png",{"title":127,"description":128,"path":129,"coverImage":130,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Cuckoos (Cuculidae)","The cuckoo family: slender, long-tailed birds best known for the common cuckoo's remarkable brood-parasitic lifestyle, tricking other species into raising its young.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fkukushkovye.png",{"title":132,"description":133,"path":134,"coverImage":135,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Falcons (Falconidae)","The falcon family: fast, direct-flying birds of prey with a distinctive hooked, tomial-toothed beak, found on every continent except Antarctica.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsokolinye.png",{"title":137,"description":138,"path":139,"coverImage":140,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Finches (Fringillidae)","The true finch family: small, seed-eating songbirds with conical beaks ranging from the everyday chaffinch to the specialized, cone-prying red crossbill.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvjurkovye.png",{"title":142,"description":143,"path":144,"coverImage":145,"publishedAt":146,"order":92},"Grebes (Podicipedidae)","The grebe family: highly specialized freshwater diving birds with lobed toes, elaborate courtship displays, and chicks that ride on their parents' backs while swimming.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpogankovye.png","07.08.2026",{"title":148,"description":149,"path":150,"coverImage":151,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Gulls (Laridae)","The gull family: adaptable, highly social waterbirds ranging from the small, brown-hooded black-headed gull to the larger, plain-billed common gull, equally at home on coasts and inland waters.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fchaykovye.png",{"title":153,"description":154,"path":155,"coverImage":156,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Hawks, Eagles, and Kites (Accipitridae)","The largest family of diurnal birds of prey, spanning soaring buzzards, forest-hunting goshawks, massive fish eagles, and scavenging kites united by a hooked beak and taloned feet.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fyastrebinye.png",{"title":158,"description":159,"path":160,"coverImage":161,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Herons (Ardeidae)","The heron family: patient, statuesque wetland hunters with a coiled S-shaped neck and dagger-like bill, epitomized by the grey heron's motionless watch at the water's edge.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftsaplevye.png",{"title":163,"description":164,"path":165,"coverImage":166,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Hoopoes (Upupidae)","A small family built around a single unmistakable species, the Eurasian hoopoe, known for its fan-like crest, curved probing beak, and unusual glandular nest defenses.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fudodovye.png",{"title":168,"description":169,"path":170,"coverImage":171,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Larks (Alaudidae)","The lark family: streaked, ground-nesting birds of open farmland and grassland, best known for the extraordinary sustained soaring song-flight of the Eurasian skylark.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fzhavoronkovye.png",{"title":173,"description":174,"path":175,"coverImage":176,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Flycatchers and Chats (Muscicapidae)","A family spanning the beloved orange-breasted robin, the vocally legendary nightingale, and the acrobatic pied flycatcher, unified more by ancestry and insect-catching habits than by appearance.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fmuholovkovye.png",{"title":178,"description":179,"path":180,"coverImage":181,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Orioles (Oriolidae)","A family of brilliantly colored but famously shy canopy songbirds, represented in Europe by the golden oriole, a bird more often identified by its fluting song than by sight.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fivolgovye.png",{"title":183,"description":184,"path":185,"coverImage":186,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Old World Sparrows (Passeridae)","The Old World sparrow family: small, sociable, seed-eating birds closely tied to human settlement, from the familiar house sparrow to its quieter, farmland-favoring relative the tree sparrow.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fvorobyinye.png",{"title":188,"description":189,"path":190,"coverImage":191,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Pigeons and Doves (Columbidae)","The pigeon family: stout-bodied, small-headed birds fed on crop milk as chicks, spanning the city-adapted rock dove and wood pigeon to the increasingly rare, long-distance migrant turtle dove.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fgolubinye.png",{"title":193,"description":194,"path":195,"coverImage":196,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Plovers and Lapwings (Charadriidae)","The plover family: compact, large-eyed waders with short bills adapted for visual foraging, from the crested, iridescent northern lapwing to its smaller and plainer relatives.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Frzhankovye.png",{"title":198,"description":199,"path":200,"coverImage":201,"publishedAt":202,"order":92},"Rails, Crakes, and Coots (Rallidae)","The rail family: laterally flattened marsh specialists built for slipping through dense reed beds, ranging from the secretive corncrake to the bold, aggressive Eurasian coot.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fpastushkovye.png","17.08.2026",{"title":204,"description":205,"path":206,"coverImage":207,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Starlings (Sturnidae)","The starling family: gregarious, iridescent, highly vocal songbirds represented in Europe by the common starling and its spectacular winter murmurations.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fskvorcovye.png",{"title":209,"description":210,"path":211,"coverImage":212,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Storks (Ciconiidae)","The stork family: massive, long-legged wading birds with long straight bills, epitomized by the white stork's huge rooftop nests and dramatic overland migration to Africa.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Faistovye.png",{"title":5,"description":77,"path":94,"coverImage":76,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},{"title":215,"description":216,"path":217,"coverImage":218,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Swifts (Apodidae)","The swift family: extreme aerial specialists that spend nearly their entire lives in flight, closer in ancestry to hummingbirds than to the swallows they superficially resemble.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fstrizhinye.png",{"title":220,"description":221,"path":222,"coverImage":223,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Sylvia Warblers (Sylviidae)","A family of small, plainly plumaged, densely-vegetation-loving warblers prized far more for their voices than their looks, exemplified by the richly singing Eurasian blackcap.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fslavkovye.png",{"title":225,"description":226,"path":227,"coverImage":228,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Thrushes (Turdidae)","The thrush family: medium-sized, powerful-singing ground foragers, from the glossy black common blackbird to the heavily spotted song thrush and the gregarious, flocking fieldfare.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdrozdovye.png",{"title":230,"description":231,"path":232,"coverImage":233,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Tits (Paridae)","The tit family: small, acrobatic, cavity-nesting songbirds from the bold, dominant great tit to the tiny, cache-obsessed coal tit, among the most familiar and intensively studied garden birds in Europe.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsinitsevye.png",{"title":235,"description":236,"path":237,"coverImage":238,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Typical Owls (Strigidae)","The largest owl family, spanning the familiar tawny owl, tufted long-eared owl, and the giant Eurasian eagle-owl, united by forward-facing eyes, silent flight, and mostly nocturnal habits.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fsovinye.png",{"title":240,"description":241,"path":242,"coverImage":243,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Wagtails and Pipits (Motacillidae)","A family of slender, long-tailed, ground-foraging songbirds best exemplified by the constantly tail-bobbing white wagtail, equally at home beside a river or in a busy town square.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Ftryasoguzkovye.png",{"title":245,"description":246,"path":247,"coverImage":248,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Waterfowl (Anatidae)","The waterfowl family: ducks, geese, and swans, unified by webbed feet, waterproof plumage, and a broad flattened bill, from the familiar mallard to the massive mute swan.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Futinye.png",{"title":250,"description":251,"path":252,"coverImage":253,"publishedAt":95,"order":92},"Woodpeckers (Picidae)","The woodpecker family: powerful, tree-climbing excavators built to hammer into wood, from the widespread black-and-white great spotted woodpecker to the crow-sized black woodpecker.","\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye","\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Fdyatlovye.png",[],[256,257,259],{"label":99,"path":100,"description":101,"coverImage":120},{"label":103,"path":104,"description":105,"coverImage":258},"\u002Fimages\u002Fsemeystva\u002Findex.png",{"label":107,"path":108,"description":109,"coverImage":260},"\u002Fimages\u002Fopredelitel\u002Findex.png",1787114560545]