two clever Martins Hirundinidae passerine Pseudochelidoninae birds nesting window box Wildlife nature animal wild Outdoor
martins are a group of passerine birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial feeding. Swallow is used colloquially in Europe as a synonym for the Barn Swallow. This family comprises two subfamilies: Pseudochelidoninae (the river martins of the genus Pseudochelidon) and Hirundininae (all other swallows and martins). Within the Hirundiniae, the name "martin" tends to be used for the squarer-tailed species, and the name "swallow" for the more fork-tailed species; however, there is no scientific distinction between these two groups. The family contains around 83 species in 19 genera. The swallows have a cosmopolitan distribution across the world and breed on all the continents except Antarctica. It is believed that this family originated in Africa as hole-nesters; Africa still has the greatest diversity of species. They also occur on a number of oceanic islands. A number of species are long-distance migrants. A few species of swallow and martin are threatened with extinction by human activities, although other species have benefited from human changes to the environment and live in around humans. The swallows and martins have an evolutionary conservative body shape which is similar across the family but is unlike that of other passerines. Swallows have adapted to hunting insects on the wing by developing a slender streamlined body, and long pointed wings, which allow great maneuverability and endurance, as well as frequent periods of gliding. Their body shape allows for very efficient flight, which costs 50-75% less for swallows than equivalent passerines of the same size. Swallows usually forage at around 30-40 km/h, although they are capable of reaching speeds of between 50-65 km/h when travelling. Like the unrelated swifts and nightjars, which hunt in a similar way, they have short bills, but strong jaws and a wide gape. Their body length ranges from about 10–24 cm (– in) and their weight from about 10–60 g (0.
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