House Swallow

Young Swallows - not yet fully grown

House Swallows, also known as Pacific Swallows, are very common near the rural parts of Shimoga. We can see it very often in rural parts of Shimoga - mostly flying around at very high speeds. It is not very common to see these birds sit down for long, as they are very enthusiastic fliers. Having said that, look out for electric wires - sometimes these form long lines on electric lines.

If we observe the birds carefully while they are sitting, we can see it is an attractive bird - chestnut-coloured forehead with a paler underparts and shiny wings. We can also observe that the wings are longer in proportion to many other birds, suited for high-speed flying.

Salim Ali notes that these are confined to western ghats and nearby areas, especially south of Karnataka, Kerala and West Tamil Nadu. I have observed a swallow build a nest in a rock in the middle of Tunga river, very close to the pathway crossing the river. That was a very unique opportunity to observe the young birds, who were not yet aware of humans as threats and were not flying away even if I approached them closely. Their mother coming back frequently to feed them was another memorable experience.

These birds eat insects which they catch while flying. Scientific name for this bird is Hirundo Tahitica Gmelin.