The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a widespread synanthrope that has expanded its range across continents.
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GUWAHATIDescendants of migratory barn swallows may have gradually stopped making long journeys and settled permanently in Manipur’s Imphal Valley, a new study suggests.The finding, published in the Journal of Wildlife Science, also says that these fork-tailed birds may represent a mixed population shaped by ancient movements and interbreeding between their different groups over thousands of years.The authors of the study are Amarjeet Kaur and R. Suresh Kumar of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Their study is based on field surveys conducted in 2022 and 2023.
In India, two subspecies of barn swallows are reported to breed in the Himalayas, while one is believed to winter in parts of the country’s northeastern region.
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