| Endangered Species:Bank Swallow |
A Christiansburg Elementary Project
Submitted by Justin R
Christiansburg Elementary School, Christiansburg, U.S.A.
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Photography courtesy of Virginia's Endangered Species |
Why Study This Topic?
I want to find out what size the Bank Swallow is,
what color it is , and what shape it is. I need to know how much food it
eats, and what water, shelter, and space it needs. I also want to know
if it has made any adaptations and why it is endangered. Most importantly,
I want to know what humans are doing to make its population bigger?
The reason why I'm doing this is because we have
to get a better grade, and our teacher wants us to learn how to do research
reports. The best reason is that I want people to see more of Barn Swallows.
I do not want to see them become extinct, like dinosaurs.
What Was Already Known
My animal is a bird, and it has a little fork tail.
I also think that it lives in creek banks and other water banks. I also
believe that it eats crawdads, water insects, or land insects.
Search for Information
I searched on the computer, in the library in an encyclopedia
and The Encyclopedia of Children's Britannica. I found wildlife
facts in volumes one and two. I looked in the library, and I looked on
school computers and in a wildlife movie.
I found a lot of information, but not much new information.
The books and computers said the same thing over and over again such as
how it has a forked tail, and that it is the smallest swallow, and that
it lives in the banks of creeks, rivers, and ponds.
Description
The adult Bank Swallow has a brown back with white
underneath and a brown stripe under the throat and a forked tail. Its babies
have a shorter band under the throat.
Its total length equals up to 130 millimeters, and its
wing length is 98.3 millimeters. The total tail length is 47.3 millimeters.
Last, but not least, the length of its torso is 10.8millimeters. The eggs
measure up to 17.9 millimeters by 12.7 millimeters. Its shape is like a
normal bird, but it has a forked tail.
Habitat Requirements
The Bank Swallow eats flying insects - ants, termites,
tree hoppers, leaf hoppers, aphids, beetles, mosquitoes, houseflies, game
flies, dragon flies, and moths. It drinks water. It lives in gravel, sand,
or dirt banks by rivers, ponds, or even creeks. It needs space where it
can fly free and eat as it pleases.
Adaptations
This is a bird of prey, and it eats only insects.
Its natural enemies are bigger birds such as falcons, hawks, and eagles.
Its worst enemies are snakes, because snakes can get in its nest and eat
its eggs.
Reasons for Endangerment
The Bank Swallow is protected by the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act. This bird is ranks G5/S3S4, which means that it is very un
common in Virginia. That is because it has lost much of its habitat. This
fact should be of special concern in Virginians.
Restoration Actions
Humans have bred Bank Swallows from eggs to adults,
and then let them go in the wild. This protects them from being hunted.
I think people should teach Barn Swallows to make smarter holes. I think
conservationists should take the Barn Swallow to states where there is
more habitat for it. .
What Was Learned
I learned that Barn Swallow is the smallest swallow,
and that it is endangered and not far from being extinct. The problems
I had were in getting the right information and writing it.
Conclusions From Research
I learned that research can be fun and sometimes boring.
The part that is most fun is looking up information. The experience that
I got from this is do my work, so I will learn how to do research reports
that will help me in the future. I hope you have enjoyed this, because
I have enjoyed doing it.
Bibliography
Terwilliger, Karen.1991. "Virginia's Endangered
Species" pp. 516-517
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to Bird page.
If you would like to add to these Endangered Species
pages then email your contributions to Christiansburg
Elementary
© copyright 1997
Christiansburg Elementary |
Last updated on March 12, 1997
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