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Both sexes of barn swallows help build the nest out of mud pellets, dry grass, straw, horsehair, and white feathers.
The main threat to barn swallows is agriculture including farming practices, loss of foraging areas, livestock rearing, improved hygiene, land drainage, and the use of herbicides and pesticides.
Barn swallows contribute to the ecosystem by eating an enormous amount of insects and controlling their populations.
Barn swallows forage opportunistically and will follow tractors and plows in order to catch the insects that are disturbed by the machinery.
Although all swallows are socially monogamous, barn swallows differ in the sharing of parental care, raising 2 broods a summer of 2-7 eggs each.
The barn swallow's global population is estimated at about 290,000,000-500,000,000 individuals, 20% of which can be found in Europe.
Because barn swallow nests can be unsightly and can create cleanliness and health issues for humans, they are sometimes removed as a nuisance.
Barn swallows have a wide variety of calls used in different situations and will sing, both individually and as a group.
Barn swallows are aerial foraging insectivores and feed almost entirely on flying insects, such as flies, grasshoppers, crickets, dragonflies, beetles, and moths.
Because of its extremely large range and population size, the barn swallow is evaluated as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
The barn swallow is migratory as it is susceptible to climate change and bad weather and will migrate to sub-Saharan Africa, southern Europe, South America, and South Asia in the winter...
Barn swallows are socially monogamous, but genetically polygamous, as extra-pair copulations are common.
Barn swallows are often seen in large social groups and nest colonially, as a result of the distribution of high quality nests.
Barn swallows are very adaptable birds and nest anywhere with open areas for foraging, a water source, and a sheltered ledge, seeking out habitats of all types.
The barn swallow is the most widespread species of swallow in the world and is native in all the biogeographic regions except Australia and Antarctica.
In Anglophone Europe, the barn swallow is simply called the "swallow" and in Nothern Europe, it's the only common species called a "swallow" rather than a "martin."
Leopards are host to many common felid parasites, including lung flukes, flat worms, spirurian nematodes, hookworms, lung worms, intestinal and hepatic parasites, and parasitic protozoa.
Wild leopards average 10-12 years, the oldest being 17 years, but captive leopards average 21-23 years, the oldest having lived 27 years.
Similar to other mammalian species, the home ranges of male leopards are larger and tend to overlap with those of multiple females.
Many of the leopard's predator characteristics also serve as defense mechanisms, such as its spots that allow it to travel inconspicuously and avoid detection.
Leopards are economically important for humans as they can be seen in national parks throughout Asia and Africa.
Lions, tigers, spotted hyaenas, and African wild dogs compete with leopards for food and are capable of killing leopards.
After capturing its prey, a leopard will break its neck causing paralysis and asphyxiation, then carries the carcass to a nearby tree or caches it in leaves and soil.
Leopards positively contribute to the ecosystem by helping to control baboon populations and dispersing seeds that stick to their fur.
4,500-7,000 leopards are illegally harvested annually to fuel the demand for leopard skins and trophy hunting.
Leopards are protected throughout most of their range in west Asia and show resistance to minor habitat disturbances.
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