Swallows are very beautiful birds that have settled near humans since ancient times. Since then, people began to observe their behavior. It is known that these birds almost never fall to the ground. They love heights. Therefore, when swallows fly low, it is surprising.

People noticed that this phenomenon was associated with a change in weather. This is how the sign appeared about when swallows fly low. But there is a logical explanation for this bird behavior. To do this you need to know some facts from their life.

About the swallow

Swallows spend most of their lives in flight. They make nests in cliffs, on steep river banks, from where they can immediately rise high into the sky without obstacles. In good clear weather they like to sit on the tops of trees. This is how they rest.

1. Eating small insects, which are caught on the fly, and often this behavior becomes the reason for the emergence of superstitions. So, for example, old people say that if you often see a swallow hunting for bugs, this promises tricks of enemies that can bring significant losses.
2. Swallows also drink water while moving, flying over bodies of water. That's why they usually settle there. After all, the habitat of midges should not be too far from their villages. Folk signs often associate the place of residence of these birds with the purity of water and land. They say that if there is a stream near a swallow’s house, then the water in it is sure to have healing properties.
3. Swallows feed their little chicks with great dedication. All day long they carry insects in their beaks, several at a time. Therefore, birds usually hunt midges, which gather in groups. It makes no sense for her to chase one insect, because she needs to feed herself and several more voracious chicks. This requires an infinite number of insects. Therefore, if such a bird chooses as its place of residence a house in which families with children live, folk beliefs They claim that there are good and responsible parents here who love their children.

Swallows are migratory birds. That’s why people say: The swallow flew to the South, but the cold flew from the North!

Flying high

If swallows fly high, then a folk sign promises good weather. This is quite natural, although the behavior of these birds is not at all related to the weather.

As we already know, these birds do not fly in the air for pleasure. They hunt all the time. The human eye simply cannot see such a small midge. And in good weather, insects and mosquitoes rise high due to warm air currents. And after them the birds rise.

Flying low

A folk sign says: “Swallows are flying low - wait for the rain.” Our ancestors saw this pattern a long time ago. And they still follow it. This phenomenon also has a reasonable interpretation.

Before rain or downpour, when the weather worsens, atmospheric pressure drops. The air becomes humid. The small wings of mosquitoes and insects become covered with tiny droplets of moisture. Body weight increases. It is difficult for them to lift themselves high into the air (the laws of physics apply). Therefore, they are located at short distances near the ground or bodies of water. Swallows also descend behind them.

In windy weather it is more difficult to predict whether it will rain. After all, when there are strong gusts of wind, midges cannot fly in flocks. They are blown in different directions. It is then harder for the birds to catch them and they go down after the bugs and grasshoppers. Therefore, it will not be possible to say with certainty whether it will rain or not.

Other signs about swallows

There are many other folk signs associated with these cute chicks:

1. If a swallow flew into the house through a window, soon one of the relatives will die or become seriously ill. And in the countries of Western Europe, this event does not bode well, but on the contrary, foretells good luck and fortune. And among the Slavic peoples this interpretation sounds about a swallow flying through the door.
2. If these birds have built a nest near a house or in a barn, then the owners of this house are honest and kind. The swallow senses peace-loving people, therefore, where people are evil, it will not make a nest. Also, the appearance of a nest for an unmarried girl foreshadowed an imminent marriage.
3. A swallow leaving the nest predicts trouble for the owners of the house, especially the sign concerns the relationship between spouses. This promises separation and quarrels.
4. If a bird knocks on a window, then soon news will come from a person about whom nothing has been heard for a long time. Perhaps there will be good news for the owner.
5. When birds appear at a wedding, it is considered a very good sign. They say that newlyweds will live happily ever after, especially if birds circle above their heads.
6. When swallows were the first to return from warm countries, the year will bring good harvest. And if they arrive too late, you won’t have a good year.

Traditions and rituals

In the spring, when you see a swallow for the first time of the year, you need to throw a handful of earth in the direction of its flight. It was believed that the bird would build a nest using this soil. Then there will always be money in the house. We also tried to see its first spring flights. They believed that the year would be successful and prosperous in all endeavors.

Since ancient times, swallows have been harbingers of bad weather. By looking at their behavior, people could easily determine whether today would be rainy or sunny. At the same time, there was no doubt about the accuracy of their “predictions”. In this regard, inquiring minds have long asked a completely logical question:

For a long time, the answer to this question eluded scientists. Years have passed, and modern science has yet found a worthy explanation for this phenomenon. But let's talk about everything in order.

Forecasts in ancient times

Thanks to advances, today a person can easily find out the weather forecast on the Internet or in the news. But in the old days, one could learn about the vagaries of nature only by closely observing its clues. By the way, our ancestors did this very well.

Thanks to such observations, many folk signs have come to light. In particular, that before the rain, swallows begin to circle very low above the ground. Moreover, the accuracy of such an observation turned out to be very high, as a result the sign became one of the most famous in our area. But, despite this, the Slavs could not understand why swallows fly low before the rain?

Scientists' futile search for an answer

Scientists have taken up the solution to this curious question. After all, despite the fact that folk signs belong to the section of folklore, yet many of them have a scientific basis. So, naturalists began to frantically search for an answer to the question: “Why do swallows fly low before the rain?”

Initially, scientists believed that swallows sense changes in the atmosphere, thanks to which they “predict” the weather. However, if this was true, then why did the flying swallow descend so low to the ground? Shouldn't she have been hiding from the approaching bad weather in her nest?

In general, as often happens, attempts to find an answer only increased the number of new riddles. And then one day the truth was revealed to scientists. And, as it turned out, the truth was completely different from what researchers had been looking for for so long.

Rain and insects

I would like to make a small digression and talk a little about insects. Or more precisely, about how the approach of rain and increased moisture in the air affect them. After all, it is in their behavior that the key to the behavior of nimble swallows lies.

So, the approach of rain is accompanied by an increase atmospheric pressure. And if such a phenomenon is not too noticeable for us (although weather-dependent people can argue with this statement), then for insects this means significant changes. In particular, the force of the atmosphere seems to press them to the ground.

After the pressure has increased, the air begins to become saturated with tiny droplets of water. Such moisture quickly settles on the wings and bodies of insects, thereby increasing their weight. And they can no longer fly quickly, much less rise high above the ground. Therefore, the only thing left for them is to circle above the surface in search of shelter.

Why do swallows fly low before the rain?

Well, now the time has come to answer this question. As it turned out, the reason for everything is the brutal appetite of these birds. It just so happens that feeding swallows is an almost continuous process to which they devote most of their day.

And since their favorite food begins to circle near the ground with the approach of rain, they have no choice but to follow it. This is how it turns out that the main “meteorologists” are not the swallows themselves, but... the insects. But how did it happen that all the laurels went to the swallows?

The crux of the problem is that most insects are tiny. Therefore, people simply did not notice them, and therefore could not draw a logical parallel. A completely different matter are swallows, which are difficult to miss. And yet, be that as it may, the fact remains: if swallows fly low above the ground, it will rain.

Signs have a very rich history, but today many phenomena are explained scientifically. Therefore everything less people believes in different beliefs. But in vain: some signs based on observations may be true. Eg, modern science It is known exactly why swallows fly low before rain. Biologists and physicists have found a logical basis for this phenomenon, so the sign can be considered true and accurate.

What does the sign say?

Before describing the reason for this phenomenon, it is worth considering in detail the sign that swallows fly low. Among some residents of Russia there is a very widespread belief as if these birds can communicate with the souls of dead people. It is believed that the birds receive news from the other world, and then descend to earth to convey them to the relatives of the dead.

Living people, in turn, are glad that they were able to talk once again with their loved ones, whom they miss very much. Having heard what a person did not have time to say during his lifetime, the soul of his relative bursts into tears of happiness, which is why it rains.

Among English-speaking peoples, the belief has a slightly different form. Their sign: swallows fly high - expect dry weather. Essentially, this is a different look at the same phenomenon explained by science. But as a rule, high-flying birds are more likely to be a sign of already established fine weather, rather than a meteorological harbinger.

Of course, each person decides for himself whether to believe in science or attribute miraculous powers to signs. The fact remains that the swallow belief is true.

Scientific explanation

This sign also has a logical explanation. It appeared thanks to knowledge of biology and physics:

This is why swallows often fly low before rain. Naturally, a person does not see insects, but he can watch fast-flying flocks of birds for quite a long time.

In Russia, these birds are very common and can be easily recognized by their characteristic forked tail. The three most common types are:

1. Voronok or urban. The plumage of this bird is black with a blue tint and a metallic sheen. The breast, neck and rump areas are white or cream colored. Their tail is somewhat shortened compared to the other two species. It is representatives of the funnel that settle in cities under the roofs of houses and on the eaves. They prefer sparsely populated cities, avoiding megacities.
2. Killer whale or village. This beauty is larger than the city representative. Its color also has a metallic tint, but it is closer to dark blue. The abdomen is light with a small dark stripe on the chest. The tail of this bird is long and pointed. Barn swallows usually settle in very large colonies, sometimes numbering up to 1000 pairs.
3. Beregovushka or coastal. It is these birds that can be seen in nest-caves made along steep banks. They are brown-gray in color, small sizes and a miniature ponytail.

Typically, swallows are distinguished by their love for their offspring and are famous for their hard work and dedication. If one of the chicks does not have time to get stronger before the flight, the parents stay with it. A swallow can bring food to its offspring up to 500 times a day. This is not surprising, because tiny birds have an excellent appetite; they can eat almost two tons of insects in their lives.

These birds live up to 30 years. Their strength lies in their extraordinary flight speed, reaching 120 km/h. In addition, they can rise to a height of 4 km. These harbingers of spring are known and loved all over the world, so the sign associated with the weather is familiar to almost everyone.

To believe or not to believe

Some people will be 100% confident in the sign and will begin to convince others that folk wisdom has never let them down. Others will laugh at them and say that this is not mysticism at all, but a completely reasonable phenomenon. To support this, they can cite many examples of incorrect weather forecasts based on birds flying high and low. Sometimes insects, and after them swallows, sink lower as a result of some environmental changes:

• sudden changes in temperature;
• change in atmospheric pressure;
• large difference between daytime and evening temperatures;
• increased humidity due to fog.

So why, given the obvious unreliability of signs about the weather, do people continue to trust them? It's all about the psychology of the person himself; very often people only see what they believe. Therefore, you should not completely trust such signs; it is better to focus on the weather forecast, and leave the role of additional predictions to superstitions. But you shouldn’t give up believing in magic, because the whole planet, its animal and vegetable world with weather and various phenomena- these are real miracles.

Among the signs that determined the nature of a peasant’s activity, observations of weather conditions and the behavior of animals and birds occupied not the least place. For example, people often wondered why swallows fly low before it rains.

To understand this issue, you need to know the characteristics of the life of this bird.

What do swallows talk about?

Ornithologists know that swallows are those birds that usually fly low above the ground, and the sign appeared as a result of observations of them. The swallow is one of those birds that almost never lands on the ground, and usually carries out its flights quite low above the ground. It has been established that swallows even drink on the fly, capturing drops of moisture. When they fly over a river or other body of water.

Most often, these blue-black birds can be seen sitting on wires when the sun is shining brightly. And the clearer and drier the weather is outside, the higher the swallows fly above the ground.

Popular superstitions say that swallows fly low when it rains. The signs have a very specific explanation: these birds are insectivores, which means their life directly depends on the habitat of insects. As a rule, they hover low over bodies of water, which means swallows follow their future food in order to get food.

In sunny weather, midges rise quite high, so birds fly high in the sky. Cloudy weather and a decrease in atmospheric pressure causes insects to sink lower and lower to the water and land, which means that the sign that swallows fly low when it rains always turns out to be true.

However, this is not the only sign associated with them. These birds always live next to a person and often unwittingly interfere in his life, which means that a lot will be said about them.

Other signs about swallows

1. Folk omens claim that a swallow builds a nest only near the house where they live good people, in whose family peace and tranquility reigns.
2. If a bird makes a nest and then leaves it, this is considered a bad omen: residents of a house where a swallow’s nest is empty should be wary of troubles and losses.
3. It is believed that a swallow living near a house protects a person’s home from fire. If thieves appear in the house, then retribution will definitely come: the bird will take care of it.
4. Signs say: if a swallow knocks on the glass with its beak, it foretells a meeting with a good friend from whom there has been no news for a long time.
5. A remarkable sign was the appearance of birds during: it was believed that if swallows circled over the newlyweds’ heads, then their life would be long and happy.
6. And if the swallow decided to make a nest where it lives unmarried girl, - one could expect matchmakers and quick marriage in the near future.
7. People believed that there would be prosperity in the house if the first swallow seen in the spring was thrown after a handful of earth, supposedly to build its nest.
8. The behavior of these birds determined whether the year would be fruitful: if swallows were the first to fly from the south (to usher in spring), a good harvest could be expected that year.
9. In the villages, these birds were treated with great respect: even if by chance someone could kill a swallow, people were afraid that the birds would definitely take revenge for its death, and the death of livestock would begin in the village.

As you can see, the sign that swallows and swifts fly low above the ground to indicate rain is not the only one associated with these birds. Popular wisdom noted others, no less important and useful. Concluding the conversation about swallows, let us remember one more sign, which states that a pebble taken from a nest abandoned by swallows will become wonderful.

“The swallow keeps flying over the house.

As if he was looking for something, remembering.

Everything hovers above the roof alone.

Dear guest from afar."

Every person has seen a swallow (or “Galitsa” in the old fashioned way). A swift, nimble beauty flying near the house or fluttering over the river. Galitsa is our pride, we admire this bird, but we don’t even know whether it is predatory or not. Where he lives, how he eats, where he disappears in winter.

For us, the swallow is the main indicator of rain. If it flies low above the ground, there will be a downpour, as the nimble beauty “promises”. Is this so? Who is this swallow?

Hello birdie

Swallows form a single family, the swallow family. Beauties, and there are about 120 species of them, inhabit all the world's countries, except the Arctic and Antarctic. These birds are children of the air; they fly beautifully. Galits live in the sky - they drink water on the fly, hunt, even breed and sleep (on the ground the birds feel clumsy and are practically not observed).

Swallows have a slender, streamlined body, narrow long wings and an original tail with a deep neckline. These birds are small (weight reaches 10-60 grams). They form pairs and maintain family relationships throughout the bird's life.

Galitsa are migratory birds. Twice a year they travel to their wintering grounds (Africa and tropical Asia) and back home. Migration of swallows is a complex and dangerous process. Often during migration, birds die in flocks due to winds and hurricanes.

In 1974, thousands of dead swallows were found in the foothills of the Swiss Alps - the birds did not reach their winter quarters due to sudden cold weather. When it gets cold, the feathered beauties huddle together and become lethargic and numb.

Galitsa are predators. They feed on insects, beetles and butterflies. But they prefer insects that do not have a sting (leafhoppers, flies, horseflies, midges, mosquitoes and grasshoppers).

Types of swallows

We have three common types of these amazing birds:

Urban (or funnel). The plumage of the funnel is blue-black with a metallic sheen. The breast, neck and rump are colored White color. The tail looks like a blunt fork with shortened ends.

Funnels settle under the roofs of houses, under balconies and on eaves. These swallows prefer small cities; they cannot be seen in megalopolises. The funnel nests are closed on all sides, the only round entrance hole is located on the side. Bird eggs are pure white in color.

Village (or killer whale). Compared to the urban killer whale, it is larger in size. The color of the bird is dark blue with a metallic tint. The abdomen is light, and on the chest there is a dark stripe. The tail is long, deep-cut and white-spotted.

Killer whales settle in large colonies (up to 1000 pairs). They fly in huge flocks over the water surface, catching insects and scooping up water with their beaks. Birds nest under the roofs of rural wooden buildings. A killer whale builds a nest from pieces of wet earth. The nesting area has the shape of a hemispherical saucer.

Coastal (or coastal). And along the steep sandy banks and slopes of rivers the bank swallow settles. She has a very small ponytail with a small slit. The color is brown-gray, the belly and chest are white. The shorebird digs burrow nests for itself, similar to small caves.

Curious facts

Swallows are famous for their hard work and love for their chicks. If the chick from the last brood does not have time to get stronger before flying to the winter quarters, the parents stay with it until the baby gets stronger. Parents tirelessly feed their chicks, bringing food up to 500 times a day.

Small birds have an enviable appetite. During their bird life they eat 2 tons of insects!

Swallows live up to 30 years. Their life is flight (the harbingers of spring reach speeds of up to 120 km/h). And they can fly at an altitude of 4000 meters. Galicians are known all over the world. Swift birds are loved and respected everywhere.

• Estonia. Estonia especially reveres these birds. The swallow is the national symbol of the Baltic country and appears on the 100 kroon coin.
• Egypt. Galitsa are the sacred birds of ancient Egypt. They belonged to the goddess Isis (the ideal of femininity and motherhood).
• China. The arrival of swallows in the sky coincides with ritual fertility holidays. The Chinese believe that the house where the bird has settled will soon be blessed with a wedding.
• Russia. In the terrible spring of 1942, residents of besieged Leningrad carried with them images of swallows. The birds easily flew into the besieged city and foreshadowed good news and hope.

In our country, Galitsa is symbolic of happy family life. This bird personifies tenderness and affection. It is believed that the bird builds nests only in the homes of good people. But those who destroyed the swallow’s nest brought disaster and fire to the house.

After all, according to popular opinion, the beautiful bird protects housing from lightning, thunder and fire. And it warns people about the rain, flying low over their heads and whistling invitingly.

Why does a swallow fly before the rain?

In the progressive age, people find out what the weather is like outside from the Internet or mobile weather applications. And before, birds and animals warned people about the vagaries of the weather. Our ancestors were very observant! The sign about the low flight of swallows before rainstorms has survived to this day and turned out to be accurate. Why do swallows fly low before the rain?

Logic speaks, physics confirms

Initially, pundits believed that swift birds were responding to changes in the atmosphere. But why do the winged ones fly above the ground before a downpour, and not hide in shelters before bad weather? Are they really warning people? Human logic is selfish. A person, examining superficial (visible to the eye) phenomena, immediately draws conclusions. Without making it difficult for yourself to get to the bottom of all the elements.

Seeing the effect, people generalize reasons that we are not able to verify or prove.

Scientifically speaking, this is an example of inductive reasoning, subject to the laws of logic, a type of incomplete induction (that is, induction or a method of reasoning based on the simplest observation):

• "All plants have roots." We, without considering or proving the truth (do all bushes or trees have roots, yes or no), generalize the proposed statement.
• "All gases expand when heated." Even at school we are given examples of incomplete induction. Citing experiments on 1-2 gases as evidence, teachers draw general conclusions, speaking about “all gases.”

The ability to formulate judgments for which a person is not able to obtain evidence comes from ancient times. These are the same folk signs, bright representatives of incomplete induction (inferences made on the basis of observations without a complete evidence base).

Folk signs about swallows

There are countless tales that people told the swift black and white bird. Can you believe that before the arrival of severe cold weather, a nimble bird plucks out its feathers and hides “nakedly” under the bark of trees or dives under the water to sleep there? And in the spring sunshine, appear before people in bright, renewed plumage.

This is what the ancestors thought when they lost sight of the swallow in the fall (at that time they did not know that Galits fly away for the winter). There are many signs and curious conclusions about the swift birds from observers of the habits of swallows (as the Slavs affectionately called Galicians):

• If a bird built a nest under the roof of a house and then suddenly left the house, expect trouble (fire or collapse). The owners also had to leave the house temporarily.
• Hearing the chirping of swallows, the ancestors immediately washed themselves with milk. After all, the swallow’s chirping warned that a person had many envious people and it was time to defend himself. Washing with milk saved enemies from envy.
• But if a swallow in flight touches or flies low over a person’s head or shoulder, it speaks of his imminent death, carrying black news on his wings.
• A knock on this bird's window promised good news and restoration of contact with a lost relative.
• Having seen the first spring swallows, it was supposed to throw them a handful of earth to build a nesting site. Then wealth and prosperity will come to the house.
• Galitsa winds next to the home of a young unmarried girl? There will be a magnificent wedding soon! And if a swallow flies over the newlyweds, their marriage is strong and happy.
• Are swallows already flying around in the sky in early spring? Be a year rich in harvests.
• Well, the famous sign about birds flying low before the rain.

Revealing the secret

Let's leave the swallows alone for now and talk about their favorite food - insects.

Insects and bad weather. Before rain, there is an increase in atmospheric pressure. Air humidity increases. People who do not suffer from weather dependence do not notice this. But the insects react. Atmospheric force “presses” flying insects to the ground.

Due to the increase in pressure, the air is “saturated” with tiny droplets of moisture, which settle on the wings of the insects, increasing the mass of insects. Swallow food before the rain cannot fly at its usual altitude. Their flight becomes slow and low, to the delight of the swallows!

Affordable food. Birds, rushing after their prey, lower themselves above the ground and quickly rush overhead, trying to get more food for themselves and their chicks. And it seems to a person that the bird, flying low and flashing before his eyes, is trying to tell him about the impending rain. Small wet bugs are not visible to people. Here is the explanation for the mysterious behavior of birds!

Although this sign comes from the people, it is easily explained and proven from the point of view of classical physics (gravity affects the body weight of an insect, causing it to sink to the ground). Swallows don't predict rain - they hunt!

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