LEARN MORE… DETAILS, DETAILS… The aerialists could also be named the “adaptors,” With the aerialists zooming around at fifteen to forty since each has found a way to deal with the loss of miles an hour, it can be really hard to tell one bird habitat by learning to build their nests in new places. from another. First, focus on the shape of the bird’s This skill has allowed several of the aerialists to expand wings—finding the point where the front edge bends their range. Can’t find a barn, cliff, or cave in Houston? at the “wrist.” Next, look at back edge of the tail and Then underpasses will do quite nicely, thank you! decide whether it is forked, notched, curved or squared Purple Martins go with the you-do-it-for-me approach, off. Then compare what you see to the sketches. charming people into giving them their own condos. Chimney Swifts are declining however, because many Also consider the height at which the bird is flying. The new houses don’t have the chimneys the swifts need. Barn, Cliff and Cave Swallows usually fly within fifty Learn how to help by googling “Swifts Over Houston.” feet of the ground, while the other aerialists fly higher. Note that the Cliff and Cave Swallows have orange Note that the aerialists chatter a lot while flying, which rumps, while the rumps of Barn Swallows are blue. may help them avoid collisions. Learn to recognize their chatter by using recordings at AllAboutBirds.org Download more of the Bayou City Birding Zines and/or the iKnowBirdSong or Chirp! Bird Song apps. at WhiteOakBayou.org

COMMON NIGHTHAWK BARN SWALLOW WHEN: May to October WHEN: March to November LOOK FOR: Long narrow wings, with the LOOK FOR: Medium-size wings, with the wrist far from the head. The long tail is wrist close to the head. The tail is forked, notched. Wings have a white band. Only with the outer “tines” of the males longer the males have the white tail band. than those of the females. FIELD NOTES: Nighthawks are FIELD NOTES: Barn Swallows easy to find at sunset—watch for are the most agile birds of this them high above parking lots and group, often swooping inches off lit-up ball fields. They have short legs and the ground. They build cup- usually lay lengthwise on limbs, hiding from shaped nests made of mud in open sight with their camo feathers. They place buildings and under overpasses, carrying their nests on the ground and on flat roofs. up one mouthful of mud at a time. (Yuck!) ______1st SEEN ON AT 1st SEEN ON AT

PURPLE MARTIN CLIFF SWALLOW WHEN: February to October WHEN: April to October LOOK FOR: Broad wings, with the wrist LOOK FOR: Medium-size wings, with the close to the head. The tail curves inward. wrist close to the head. The tail is rounded Male martins look bluish-purple or black. when flared and squared off when folded. Females have dark wings/back/ FIELD NOTES: Cliffs Swallows tail and a light breast/belly. hang out with Barn Swallows, FIELD NOTES: Martins are very and can usually be found flying social, feeding together and then around bayous. They make gourd- perching for chatty “gossip” sessions. shaped nests under overpasses, and like Martins can nest in holes in trees, but most swallows, can cling to concrete walls. prefer to build nests in the “condos” that Their nests have small entrance holes and martin-loving people maintain for them. are often stolen by House Sparrows. ______1st SEEN ON AT 1st SEEN ON AT

CHIMNEY SWIFT CAVE SWALLOW WHEN: April to October WHEN: March to October LOOK FOR: Long, thin wings that curve LOOK FOR: A bird almost exactly like back with almost no sign of a wrist, and a the Cliff Swallow, except for its paler stubby tail. Nicknamed the “flying cigar.” neck and the orange slash above its eyes. FIELD NOTES: Swifts spend the whole day FIELD NOTES: Like the in the air, pausing only to feed their Barn Swallows, the Cave nestlings. Their legs/feet are tiny and Swallows build cup-shaped nests they cannot walk or take off from the under overpasses. The sketch shows a ground. Swifts build nests inside chimneys bird in a glide with wings drawn back and other dark structures, using sticky saliva and tail closed in. In Houston, the Cave to glue twigs together. At night, they roost Swallow is much less common than the in chimneys, clinging to vertical surfaces. Barn and Cliff Swallows. ______1st SEEN ON AT 1st SEEN ON AT