=Tree Swallow=: _Iridoprocne bicolor_ (Vieillot).--This is a summer
resident in extreme northeastern Kansas; nesting birds have been found
only along the Missouri River in Doniphan County. Habitat is in open
woodland, and in Kansas is always associated with water. Temporal
occurrence in the State is indicated in Table 14.
_Breeding schedule._--Eight records of breeding span the period May 21
to June 20; the modal date for egg-laying is May 25. The small sample
may not accurately reflect the peak of nesting activity.
_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 or 6 eggs (5.5, 5-6; 4).
Nests are placed chiefly in abandoned woodpecker diggings in willows,
four to ten feet high, over water.
=Bank Swallow=: _Riparia riparia riparia_ (Linnaeus).--This summer
resident is common wherever cut-banks suitable for nesting activities
allow relatively undisturbed behavior. The species is almost always
found near water. Temporal occurrence is indicated in Table 14.
_Breeding schedule._--Sixty records of breeding span the period May 11
to June 20 (Fig. 6); the modal date for completion of clutches is June
5.
Nearly 75 per cent of all clutches are laid in the period May 21 to
June 10. Under unusual circumstances time of breeding can be greatly
delayed; such circumstances occurred in 1961 in many places along the
Kansas River in eastern Kansas, where the soft, sandy-clay banks were
repeatedly washed away in May and June by high water undercutting the
cliffs. Bank Swallows attempted to work on burrows in late May, but
stabilization of the banks occurred only by late June, and the peak of
egg-laying for many colonies was around July 12. Records for 1961 are
omitted from the sample used here (Fig. 6).
_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 eggs (4.8, 3-7; 60). Yearly
clutch-size at one colony 3 miles east of Lawrence, Douglas County, is
as follows:
1959: 5.2, 19 records
1960: 5.0, 12 records
1961: 3.7, 11 records
1962: 4.8, 18 records
The sample for 1961 is that taken in early July when breeding occurred
after a delay of more than a month, as described above.
Nesting chambers are excavated in sandy-clay banks, piles of sand,
piles of sawdust, or similar sites, at ends of tunnels one to more
than three feet in depth from the vertical face of the substrate.
=Rough-winged Swallow=: _Stelgidopteryx ruficollis serripennis_
(Audubon).--This summer resident is common in most places; it is not
restricted to a single habitat, but needs some sort of earthen or
other substrate with ready-made burrows for nesting. Temporal
occurrence is indicated in Table 14.
_Breeding schedule._--The 14 records of breeding are in the period May
11 to June 30; the modal date of egg-laying is June 5. Seventy per
cent of all eggs are laid in the period May 21 to June 10.
_Number of eggs._--Clutch-size is 5 eggs (5.0, 4-6; 4).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account