AnimalsFarm
Swallow Fun facts for kids
Hirundo rustica
The swallow lives in barns and on farms all over the world and eats flies and mosquitoes, in mid-air.
- Where it lives
- in barns and on farms all over the world
- What it eats
- flies and mosquitoes, in mid-air
- How big it is
- about as long as a hand
Fun facts about the swallow
The ones Sammy likes best. She tells them in the game, too.
A swallow drinks water and even takes a bath while flying, by skimming low over a pond.
It builds its nest from wet mud carried in its beak, often flying more than a thousand trips!
Every year, swallows from Europe fly about 10,000 kilometres to Africa, right across a huge desert.
In spring, many swallows come back to the very same barn, and often the very same nest.
Older swallow chicks from the first family sometimes help feed their little brothers and sisters.
Its legs are so short and its feet so tiny that it walks clumsily, so it rarely lands on the ground.
Swallows travel by day and catch flying insects to eat along the way.
Before their long trip, swallows gather in long rows on telephone wires.
Riddle
Can a friend guess it?
Read the clues to someone, one at a time, without saying the animal. How many clues do they need? Fewer is better, just like in the game.
I'm a small bird, and I catch flies and mosquitoes while I fly.
I drink water and even take a bath while flying low over a pond.
I build my cup-shaped nest from wet mud, carried in my beak one bit at a time.
Each autumn I fly to Africa, and in spring I return to the same barn.
My tail is split into two long points, my throat is red, and people say I bring spring.
Sammy might be thinking of a swallow.
In Thought Zoo, Sammy picks an animal and you ask her yes-or-no questions to find it. You'll find the swallow in the Farm adventure. It's free to play.
Play the FarmComing to iPad, iPhone and Android on 12 January 2027
