Besides being an expert at building nests, what else do swallows do?

Eat pests! pretty! Swallows pass away in autumn and return in spring, never forgetting their old nest! ——That’s all, I guess.

Swallow is the collective name for 74 species of birds in the order Passeriformidae. It is small in shape, with narrow wing tips, a concave tail and a short beak, weak and small feet, and not too many feathers. The plumage is solid or metallic blue or green; both sexes are similar in most species. Swallows spend a lot of time catching pests in the air and are one of the most flexible passerines. They mainly feed on insects such as mosquitoes and flies and are well-known as beneficial birds. They build nests in tree holes or crevices, or drill holes on the beach, or stick mud to walls or protrusions of corridors, roofs, eaves, etc. in urban and rural areas to make nests. Each lays 3 to 7 eggs.

The swallow's hometown is in the north, and the north is dark in color. Therefore, it was called the black bird in ancient times. The Chinese character "yan" refers specifically to the house swallow. The front waist of the barn swallow is chestnut red, there are irregular horizontal bands on the back chest, and the abdomen is milky white. Swallows usually breed from April to July. Barn swallows nest under the eaves of farmhouses. Food is insects. Swallows are typical migratory birds. After breeding, the young birds still follow the adult birds and gradually gather into large flocks, migrating south to overwinter before the arrival of the first cold wave.

It is small in shape, with narrow and pointed wings, a concave tail, a short beak, and weak and small feet. The plumage is solid or metallic blue or green; in most species the sexes are similar.

Swallows are a genus of the family Passerine. This genus of birds is small, with a body length of 13 to 18 centimeters. The wing tips are long and the tail is forked. The back feathers are mostly gray-blue-black, so it was called a black bird in ancient times. It has long wing tips and is good at flying. It has a short, weak beak with a wide slit, which is the beak shape of a typical insectivorous bird. The legs are short and have strong claws. There are more than 20 kinds of swallows in the world, including barn swallows, rock swallows, gray sand swallows, golden-rumped swallows and hairy-footed swallows. There are 4 species in China, among which barn swallows and golden-rumped swallows are more common.

Swallows are most willing to be close to humans, and humans cherish this beneficial bird the most. "Li Yangshe Island is accompanied by the return of spring, preying on weaving willows, carrying mud, and flying in the rain. Instead of being close to the rich and close to the common people, they are murmuring sweet words and cuddling together" (Zuo Heshui). Swallows usually return from islands to farmhouses near farmland (insects) from April to July to breed. Barn swallows nest under the eaves of farmhouses. The nest is mostly made of brought mud and grass stems glued with saliva, and is covered with soft weeds, feathers, rags, etc., as well as some Artemisia annua leaves. The nest is dish-shaped. Two litters are produced each year, mostly from May to early June and from mid-June to early July. Each clutch lays 4 to 6 eggs. The second clutch is smaller, with 2 to 5 eggs. Eggs are milky white. Male and female eggs hatch together. The young birds emerge from their shells at 14 to 15 days and are fed together with the parent birds. The chicks take flight in about 20 days, and after another 5 to 6 days of feeding, they can feed themselves. The food is all insects. The Golden-rumped Swallow is similar in shape to the Barn Swallow, but slightly larger. This kind of swallow has a chestnut-yellow waist, which is very eye-catching. There are small black stripes on the lower body, making it easy to distinguish it from a house swallow. Their habits are similar to barn swallows, but they mostly live in mountainous villages. Swallows are typical migratory birds. After breeding, the young birds still follow the adult birds and gradually gather into large flocks, migrating south to overwinter before the arrival of the first cold wave.

Swallows are beneficial birds to humans. They mainly feed on insects such as mosquitoes and flies. They can eat 250,000 pests in one season, so we should protect them. Before winter comes, swallows always make their annual long-distance journey - flying in groups from the north to the far south, where they enjoy the warm sunshine and humid weather, leaving behind the severe winter frost and biting cold. The wind is left to the chickadees, grouse, and ptarmigans that never fly south for the winter. On the surface, it seems that the cold winter in the north causes swallows to leave their hometown and go to the south to spend the winter. When spring comes, they return to their hometown to have children and live and work in peace and contentment. Is that really the case? Not really. It turns out that swallows feed on insects, and they have always been accustomed to catching flying insects in the air. They are not good at searching for insect food in the gaps between trees and ground, and they cannot eat berries, seeds and other insects like oak grouse and ptarmigan. They eat leaves instead in winter (some coniferous species do not lose their leaves even in winter). However, in winter in the north, there are no flying insects for swallows to prey on, and swallows cannot dig out the larvae, pupae and eggs of hidden insects like woodpeckers and woodbirds. The lack of food forces swallows to make a great north-south migration from autumn to spring every year in order to obtain a wider living space. Swallows have become the "nomads" in the bird family.

Swallows

Swallows seem to understand clearly: Human beings are a race that can neither get too close to them nor too far away from them...

In the animal kingdom, The tiger is called the king of beasts, and the phoenix is ??the chief of birds.

What about swallows? They are insignificant and do not count. In terms of feathers, they are not as beautiful as peacocks. In terms of voices, they are not as graceful as larks. In terms of functions, they are not as popular as woodpeckers.

But now, many birds and beasts are on the verge of extinction due to human pursuit, but the swallows are thriving. The secret lies in the wisdom of the swallows.

The common characteristic of all birds is that they are afraid of humans. They build their nests in big trees and deep mountains to avoid being attacked by humans. But the swallow is not like that. It builds its bird house on the main beam of the house, but no one intentionally hurts it. This is the cleverness of the swallow. Yanzi seems to clearly understand that human beings are a race that can neither get too close to them nor stay too far away from them.

Yanzi

The essence of Little Swallow’s philosophy is to keep a certain distance from human beings. It may have been inspired by the encounters of animals that are too close or too far away from humans. It has managed to be close to humans but not under their control. It always maintains its own spiritual independence, making humans worship it like a god. Call it a beneficial bird, call its swallow tail scissors, and describe the arrival of the swallow as a symbol of spring.

In the final analysis, the swallow's philosophy of doing things is wise. It builds its nest on the beam of human's house and gains the first trust of human beings. This is unmatched by any bird. After that, it lived and multiplied here with peace of mind. After a while, when people got tired of its flying around and the baby swallows screamed at the top of their lungs, the swallows moved away with their families. The man's anger calmed down and the swallow disappeared. He thought about the good things of the swallow again and hoped that it would come back. "Little swallows, dressed in colorful clothes, come here every spring." Swallows often follow the ups and downs of human emotions and arrange their own rhythms of life.

Yanzi’s philosophy is worthy of reference for the survival and development of a nation, a country, a society, and a family as small as a family

I am copying the party...hehehe... .