Abstract

BULIT, Florencia  and  MASSONI, Viviana. Architecture of White-rumped Swallow's (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) nests built in nest boxes. Hornero [online]. 2004, vol.19, n.2, pp.69-76. ISSN 0073-3407.

The architecture of White-rumped Swallow´s (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) nests has not been described yet, and probably varies along with the cavity in which they are built. We describe the stages of nest construction, their architecture and components at nests built in nest-boxes of equal dimensions. White-rumped Swallow used 25% of the available height to build the nest, and placed the nest cup in the center of the box (where maximum thermal isolation from external temperature is expected) and never on the wall close to the box entrance (where the risk of predation is maximum). As the breeding season progressed, swallows built the mat of dried grass faster, began to lay eggs with fewer feathers lining the cup, and completed the nest in fewer days. In spite of this, the number of feathers in the cup and crown (the area outside the cup on top of nest material) was higher at the end of the breeding season than at the beginning. We found no relationship between nesting success and the time of the breeding season or the composition of the nest. We compared the nests built by White-rumped Swallows with those of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) from the Northern Hemisphere.

Keywords : Breeding season; Feathers; Nest; Nest building; Tachycineta leucorrhoa.

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