The common swallow (Hirundo rustica) has been declared Bird of the Year 2014 by the Spanish Society of Ornithology SEO / BirdLife . This has been decided by said non-governmental organization, in charge of ensuring the preservation of avian populations, essential for ecological balance. The historic neighbor of the human being, which has ended up nesting exclusively under the protective buildings erected by it, is nevertheless exposed to the threat of its insecticides, which reduce its reproductive potential and eliminate its main source of food, insects. The progressive abandonment of rural areas and new architectural styles have also contributed to the critical decline in the swallow population throughout the European continent.
The common swallow is one of the best known species both scientifically and socially and, however, has suffered a sharp decline in recent years both in Europe and in Spain in particular. According to SEO / BirdLife data, its population has declined by about 10 million individuals , that is, a decrease of 30% in the last decade.
The data is so alarming that, according to IUCN criteria, the swallow could be considered in Spain within the VULNERABLE threat category, a category similar to that of the black stork or the black vulture. And the situation is even worse in the rest of Europe. Data from the European Bird Census Council (EBCC) indicate a 35% decline across Europe between 1990 and 2011 .
Despite this loss of specimens and thanks to the efforts of hundreds of people linked to ornithology, great advances are being made in the knowledge of the swallow as a species. Despite doing dozens of ringings, very few specimens are recovered in Africa, so the wintering areas are still unknown, as are the details of their migratory movements. However, in 2013 the recapture of two common swallows, marked with geolocators within the SEO / BirdLife Migration Program, allowed for the first time in Spain to know their movements, migratory routes and wintering areas, necessary to know their biology and facilitate their conservation.
