The cliff swallow

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You can try to attract them by offering ceramic gourds hung under the eaves of the house

One enthusiast once managed to attract this bird by placing a few of its eggs in a tree swallow brood. When the chicks were old enough to call out, adult cliff swallows came and built a nest on the house.

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Photo: Paul Favreau

The rump is rusty and the forehead whitish. It is the only swallow with a square tail.

It builds a gourd-shaped nest out of mud and saliva, which it attaches under bridges or under the eaves of buildings.

This is not a swallow that uses artificial nest boxes, but a daring enthusiast from Deschambault once built a nest of wire, clay and cement and succeeded in attracting them to his home.

The city of Montreal has also set up a site specifically for cliff swallows. In season, you can visit this nesting place by going to Île Notre-Dame, just behind the casino. There you will find dozens of pairs that have taken to the shelters provided for them.