Meal wallow

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The Meal Swallow (Delichon urbicum, Syn.: Delichon urbica), also called City Swallow and Church Swallow, is a bird species from the family of Swallows (Hirundinidae). Alongside shore, smoke and rock swallow, it is the fourth species of this family, which occurs in Central Europe as a breeding bird. It is particularly well identified by the white burzel, which no other European swallow species shows.

The distribution area of the Mehlschwalbe extends over almost all of Europe and extratropical Asia. Despite this wide range, only two subspecies are distinguished. Meal swallows are distinct migratory birds. Western Asian breeding birds usually hibernate in Africa in an area extending from the southern border of the Sahara to the Cape Province. The East Asian breeding birds are present during the winter half of the year in an area that extends from the south of China via Indonesia to Assam.

Description

Appearance
The meal swallow has a body length of about 13 centimeters and weighs between 16 and 25 grams. It is thus smaller and slimmer than a sparrow and belongs within the family of swallows to the medium-sized birds.

In adult meal swallows, the head, back, top of the wings and tail are blue black. The entire underside of the body and the burzel contrast with a pure white to flour white coloration. The short legs and feet are also white feathered. The toes and the few unfeathered parts of the legs are bright flesh colored. Compared to the smoke swallow, the tail is less forked; there is a lack of greatly elongated outer springs. The eyes are brown; The beak is short and black. Gender dimorphism does not exist.

Occasionally, flour swallows include whitenings whose plumage is either completely white or in which the white portions are much more extensive than in the case of normally coloured flour swallows. In the literature, among other things, individuals are described in which only the head was colored normally and the rest of the body was white feathered or in which on the right only the bow of the wings, wing cover and hand swings were pure white.

Young birds differ from adult birds by a brownish to brownish-black body top, which only shines bluish-black in some places. The wings are also brownish and still lackluster. The throat and the flanks are grey. The most striking distinguishing feature is the gray burzel (pure white in adults). It looks speckled because its dark brown feathers have white tips.

The dress of freshly hatched flour swallows is coloured greyish-white. Due to the fur shade, older nestlings have a white wool appearance.

Aerial image and speed

Compared to that of the smoke swallow, the flight of the flour swallow is less tearing, but rather fluttering and interrupted by longer gliding phases.