Every spring and summer, the Forest Preserves’ picnic groves are alive with laughter, food and family gatherings. They are also home to a seasonal visitor: the barn swallow. These sleek, graceful birds have long relied on human-made structures for nesting, and our picnic shelters provide ideal spots to raise their young. While sharing space with swallows may take some adjustment, their presence offers important ecological benefits and a unique chance to experience wildlife up close.
On this page:
About Barn Swallows
What Are Barn Swallows?
Barn swallows are small, fast-flying birds with shimmering blue backs, cinnamon-colored underparts and distinctive forked tails. Once nesting in caves and cliffs, they have adapted over centuries to live alongside humans, choosing barns, bridges and picnic shelters as their homes. Each spring, they return to Cook County to build nests, lay eggs, and raise their chicks before migrating to Central and South America for the winter.
Why Do We Support Swallows Living in Our Shelters?
The Forest Preserves is committed to protecting native wildlife, and barn swallows are no exception. These birds provide tremendous benefits to people by eating vast numbers of flying insects that many of us would rather avoid. Barn swallow populations have also declined by about 35 percent since the 1960s due to habitat loss, pesticides, pollution and the impacts of climate change.
All swallows are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which makes it illegal to disturb active nests, eggs or chicks. By allowing swallows to nest in our picnic shelters, we help provide the safe spaces they need to survive and raise their young.
Swallows and Picnickers
It is natural for visitors to notice swallows swooping around picnic shelters, perched on beams, or tending to nests tucked under the roofline. Their fast, low flights can feel surprising, but the birds are simply catching insects or protecting their young. When you encounter swallows during your picnic, remember that you are sharing space with a species that has returned to the same shelter year after year.
Because swallows live at the shelters, people sometimes raise concerns about bird droppings on tables or benches. When making a reservation for a picnic grove online, you will be notified if the location you select is active with a notable barn swallow population. For these sites, crews clean shelters before reserved events, and if additional cleaning is needed, visitors can call 800-870-3666 for assistance.
Alternative Nesting Structures
The Forest Preserves has tested alternative nesting structures at sites like Tampier Lake and Cherry Hill Woods in an effort to provide options for swallows while reducing conflict with people. Swallows often remain strongly attached to the shelters they have used before, returning to the same spot year after year. Removing or disturbing the birds and their nests is not only harmful to them and contrary to the Forest Preserves’ conservation mission, but it is also a federal crime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will swallows hurt me?
Swallows may fly low and fast around shelters, which can feel startling, but they are in complete control of their movements. They are focused on catching insects and protecting their young, not harming people.
Do swallows spread disease?
Research suggests swallows are very low risk for disease transmission. Practicing good hygiene, like washing your hands after contact with droppings, keeps the risk minimal.
Why don’t you take down the nests?
It is against federal law to disturb or remove active barn swallow nests, eggs or chicks. Beyond that, removing nests is ineffective. Swallows are known to rebuild quickly and often return to the same sites year after year.
Can’t you block swallows from using the shelters?
Exclusion practices are strongly discouraged. Swallows depend on structures like picnic shelters for nesting, and blocking them would harm their already declining population. Supporting them is part of our broader mission to protect plants and animals in the Forest Preserves.
Why should I appreciate these birds?
Barn swallows eat mosquitoes, gnats, flies and other insects that could otherwise ruin your picnic. They also provide an opportunity to observe native wildlife up close. When you picnic with friends and family, remember the swallows are doing the same thing, raising and protecting their young.
How can I have fun if I’m sharing the space with swallows?
With a few small preparations, your event can be both fun and memorable while also supporting wildlife. Our crews clean shelters and tables before reserved events, and additional cleaning can be requested by calling 800-870-3666. You can also bring along a tablecloth for extra comfort or move tables away from beams where nests are located. If you are hosting a larger event, it may help to notify guests in advance so they know to expect the birds and can enjoy the experience of seeing them up close.