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Bird✓ Protected species

Swallow / House Martin

Hirundo rustica / Delichon urbicum

✓What to do NOW

  1. 1Unlike the swift, a swallow CAN take off from the ground — if it cannot, it is injured
  2. 2Pick up gently and place in a ventilated dark box
  3. 3A young swallow (July–August) on the ground may be learning to fly: watch from a distance for 1–2 hours before intervening
  4. 4If the parents do not return within 2 hours or the bird is injured: contact CRAS
  5. 5If the nest is reachable and the young bird is healthy: return it to the nest — parents will not reject a young bird touched by humans

✗NEVER do this

  • ✗Do not confuse with the swift (the swift has a less forked tail, scythe-shaped wings, and cannot walk)
  • ✗Do not feed without CRAS guidance
  • ✗Do not intervene immediately with fallen young birds — wait and observe first

⚠ Important note

Swallows nest in colonies on buildings and are in sharp decline across Italy. Removing nests is illegal even during renovation works (contact the local authority for exemptions). Adult swallows found exhausted during migration (August–September) often recover with warmth and rest.

⚖ Legal protection

Protected by Law 157/1992 and the Birds Directive. Nests cannot be removed during the breeding season.

Also known as

barn swallowhouse martinsand martinswallow

Did you find a swallow / house martin right now?

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