The first-ever video of a barn swallow caught in a sandstorm during its migration across the Sahara Desert was shot for National Geographic's "Incredible Animal Journeys" series.
A tiny swallow is fighting to survive inside a massive sandstorm as it migrates across the Sahara Desert, as seen in amazing, first-ever footage. Weighing less than an ounce (28 grams), the bird was observed during the most challenging leg of its remarkable summertime migration north.
The annual migration of European barn swallows, or Hirundo rustica rustica, takes place over 6,000 miles (9,700 km) each year between northern Europe and southern Africa. The latest footage was shot for National Geographic's "Incredible Animal Journeys," and it features a lone barn swallow traversing a dangerous stage across a desert.
In an email to Live Science, executive producer Sarah Gibbs said, "Swallows are among nature's 'Top Guns' — fast and acrobatic, able to turn on a dime with a flick of their long tail feathers — so finding a bird the size of your hand in a desert almost the size of the U.S. was always going to be a challenge." The series debuted on November 19. "Filming that bird in a sandstorm, on a long lens, buffeted by high winds, took it to the next level."
On the northern border of the Sahara, in Morocco, the production team saw the swallow. At this point in their journey, the swallows are coming to an end of their days of intense heat and lack of water across the desert. The team was assisted by an enthusiastic birder, a long-lens camera operator, and a scientist who conducts annual studies of the migration.
"The storm was an unexpected bonus — but it made filming even tougher," said Gibbs.
Barn swallows are about 6 inches (15 centimeters) long and weigh between 0.6 and 0.7 ounces (17 to 20 grams). The winds increased to about 40 mph (64 km/h) as the sandstorm hit. According to her, the production crew "focused in on a swallow really struggling." "A master of flight, tossed about like a boat at sea by the elements. The moment the bird took cover in a bush to wait out the storm was fleeting, like blinking and you would miss it."
In order to mate and raise their young, European barn swallows migrate north in the spring. As the weather cools off before winter arrives, they depart south. There is a high annual mortality rate associated with this dangerous migration. One of the most dangerous parts of the journey is the Sahara. "It takes five days to cross and a swallow can only go a few days without drinking," Gibbs stated.
The barn swallow was seen on camera arriving at a water source and taking a drink for the first time in days after surviving the desert. After that, the bird still needed to travel 2,000 miles (3,200 km) to meet up with its partner before beginning the cycle once more.