Birds Strange creatures

tonyturley

Legend
Location
Scott Depot, WV, USA
Name
Tony
Barn Swallows, that is. I've seen them with their heads twisted upside down. X-T1 + Vivitar 70-150 Close Focus.

TT

I guess I should add these birds are not dead or injured. They will land, fan out their wings and tails, then twist their heads around and sit like that for a few minutes before flying off. I see the behavior many times a day.
DSCF0026.jpg

DSCF0030.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Interesting behaviour! I'm not sure whether we get the "Barn" variant of the Swallow here in the UK - or indeed, whether it really IS a variant. Maybe "Barn Swallow" is just the US name for the bird that we know simply as the "Swallow". It looks quite similar.

I'm not aware of the Swallow displaying this kind of behaviour in the UK - however, since I'm no expert, this might simply be due to my lack of knowledge. :) Perhaps someone knowledgeable will jump in here.
 
I'm no ornithologist, either. There's some speculation as to why the Swallows do that. I even exchanged some correspondence with a PhD bird expert from a nearby university . . . he wasn't certain, either. His speculation was it might be a way of keeping an eye on the sky for predators. Here's some information about Barn Swallows. It appears they are widely distributed around the globe: Barn Swallow .
 
Back
Top