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Bird✓ Protected species
Swallow / House Martin
Hirundo rustica / Delichon urbicum
✓What to do NOW
- 1Unlike the swift, a swallow CAN take off from the ground — if it cannot, it is injured
- 2Pick up gently and place in a ventilated dark box
- 3A young swallow (July–August) on the ground may be learning to fly: watch from a distance for 1–2 hours before intervening
- 4If the parents do not return within 2 hours or the bird is injured: contact CRAS
- 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
Similar animals
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Full guide
Swallow or house martin fallen from the nest: summer rescue guide
Between May and August thousands of swallows and house martins fall from nests. Here's how to tell if one really needs help, how to keep it before reaching a rescue centre, and the feeding mistake that causes permanent damage.
Read the guide →Did you find a swallow / house martin right now?
🆘 Find the nearest rescue centre →