In the past, swallows' nests were clean, but now they are full of feces. Why don't swallows like to be clean?
There is a cloud in the Book of Songs: "The mysterious bird of destiny descends to give birth to merchants, and the house is rich in land." The mysterious bird here is actually the swallow we know in our daily life. Swallows have always been regarded as auspicious birds. If there are swallows nesting in the house, it means that the family is blessed and it is a sign of auspiciousness. But in recent years, swallows have become more and more disgusted by people. Why is this?
People found that the swallows seem to be different from before. The swallows in the past were very clean. Although they built nests in people’s homes, they did not affect people’s lives at all. Now the swallows seem to like to defecate anywhere, and the underside of the eaves is white and gray. Swallow droppings, and even clothes hanging out to dry, are causing headaches for homeowners. Some people even destroy the bird's nest directly to prevent the swallows from building nests. It can be said that the image of the swallows is getting worse and worse. Then someone will definitely be curious, why is the swallow not as clean as before? It seems that there was not so much feces under the previous swallow's nest!
In fact, there are many reasons for this. First of all, we need to know the fact that swallows have always liked to shit like this .
Swallows, as a kind of bird, do not have the curved intestines of mammals. The rectums of birds are generally very short, which means that feces cannot be stored in their bodies, so birds generally poop after eating. . The digestive system of birds is also very developed. They usually eat some small gravel to help digestion when they eat. At the same time, their gastric mucosa is also very capable of secreting gastric acid. Therefore, for most birds, it is fast and digestible. Fast, pull fast. In this way, it seems that swallows may not be so clean in the first place, and it is their characteristic to defecate anywhere. Of course, if you want to go deeper, you can still find some other reasons.
The bottom of the swallow's nest is not as clean as before, mainly for the following reasons.
The first is that the types of swallows have changed. Swallows are actually a general term, belonging to the genus Swallows of Passeriformes. There are 74 species in the world, and four are common in China. The living habits of each swallow are slightly different. In the past, houses in rural China would have small windows above the gates through which swallows could enter the house. Generally, swallow nests were built inside the house. This kind of swallow that builds nests inside the house is not the same species as the current swallow that builds nests under the eaves. The scientific name of the previous swallows was golden-waisted swallows . The body length is generally 16 to 20 cm. The most notable feature is that there are golden or blue feathers. This kind of swallow likes to build its nest in the house, and the swallow's nest is so exquisite that the elderly also call it " qiaoyan ".
With the development of society, the shape of houses in many villages has changed, and brick houses have become popular. This has caused golden-waisted swallows to move out of people's homes, and the original ecological niche is occupied by another kind of swallow. It is black in color and large in size. It likes to build nests under the eaves. It is generally called barn swallow . The living habits of barn swallows are not as hygienic as compared to golden-rumped swallows. Unlike golden-rumped swallows that carry the excreted feces far away, the habit of barn swallows is to stand directly at the mouth of the nest and pull down.
The second is that the structure of the swallow's nest is different. Older friends may find that the nests built by swallows today are different from those in the past. The nests of swallows in the past are very round, like a gourd scoop stuck to the corner of the wall. The gourd-shaped swallow’s nest has a small opening and is generally facing upwards, allowing only one swallow to enter and exit. This kind of swallow’s nest determines that the swallow’s excretion can only be discharged in the nest, and then the adult swallow will take it out of the nest.
The shape of the current swallow’s nest is different. It has a large opening similar to the nests of turtledoves and pigeons. In this kind of swallow’s nest, if the swallow wants to defecate, it only needs to stick its tail out of the nest and discharge it directly to the bottom of the nest. In the corridor, it can be said to be extremely convenient. The different shapes of swallow nests determine the different lifestyles of swallows. Most of the current barn swallows have this kind of semi-open nest, so it is not surprising that the bottom is full of feces.
The last reason makes people very angry. Many feces under swallow nests are not swallows at all. The "black hand" behind the scenes has another bird, which is one of the four pests we are familiar with .
Because swallows are migratory birds, they build nests under the eaves to lay eggs and hatch young swallows. Generally, two nests are produced. The young birds can grow to adult size in a month. Around October, most swallows will migrate to the south for the winter. When it is free, the sparrows will fly in and "occupy the bird's nest". Sparrows don't care about hygiene or unsanitary, anyway, they don't build their own nests, so it doesn't matter if they defecate anywhere, and they sneak into the granary of the owner's house to steal food.
We will find that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, the color of the feces under the nest will be different. This is actually the feces of sparrows. Although barn swallows are also unsanitary owners, one yard counts for one yard. The poop after October is not pulled by them. , the culprit is the sparrow.
From the above analysis, we can find the reasons why the swallows are not as clean as before, but these reasons are only analyzed from an objective point of view, and we should also pay attention to the changes that have taken place in human society itself.
With the development of China's economy, people's lives have become more and more prosperous. The original adobe houses have been replaced by high-rise buildings, and the original mud corridors have been pasted with marble tiles. The house is no longer full of dust like before. , it's bright and shiny everywhere, and a little stain will be extra eye-catching. At this time, the feces under the swallow's nest are very obtrusive. If they were placed in the past, people would not notice this at all. In the past, some rural homes would raise some chickens and ducks. Compared with the feces of those chickens and ducks To me, the swallow's excrement is really "insignificant", who would blame the little swallow?
In the final analysis, people's mentality has changed, and a little bit of filth can no longer be tolerated. In fact, swallows can bring more than just auspiciousness to people. Swallows are beneficial birds. For farmers, they are simply good at removing insects. All swallows like to prey on insects. When swallows are raising young birds, they eat a lot of pests. This period is also the vigorous growth stage of farm crops. .
Friends who have lived in the countryside since they were young may have a feeling that there are fewer and fewer swallows now. It is difficult to see the swallows that used to drag their tails and dance in groups in the sky. Even if there are, you can only see one or two occasionally. Only. Maybe swallows are really spiritual, and they feel people's disgust for them!
"In the old days, the swallows before Wang Xietang flew into the homes of ordinary people." In any case, swallows have been with us generation after generation. We cannot destroy the nest of swallows because of the problem of swallow feces. Both golden-waisted swallows and house swallows should be protected. .