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House sparrow?
Some type of sparrow, a house sparrow I think, took over a barn swallow nest. The birds are cute, but it's troubling to see baby birds (the barn swallows) being thrown out of the nest by the adult sparrows so they can then line an already built clay nest with grass and lay their own eggs in it.
Spotted on May 17, 2009
Submitted on Apr 28, 2012
5 Comments
No - these are NOT barn swallows! Please read the notes. The sparrows killed the baby barn swallows. I *think* they were house sparrows. Barn swallows do not line their clay nests with hay like this. The barn swallows made the nest - then were chased out by the sparrows. :(
Definitely barn swallows!
It's in the notes. It's a barn swallow clay nest. Often, house sparrows would wait for the swallow eggs to hatch, then take the babies with their beaks and toss them out of the nest & then line the nest with grass, etc.
Hard to tell, but it doesn't look like a House Sparrow nest to me. They usually nest in cavities. The nest looks most like an Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe) nest to me.
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