Jennifer Bailey, age 11, of Hutchinson, Kan., for her question:

ARE THERE SEVERAL KINDS OF SWALLOWS?

A swallow is a small, powerful and graceful bird. There are about 80 different kinds of swallows in the world, but only eight species can be found in North America.

The most common type that you'll find in North America is called the barn swallow. It makes its nest out of mud that is formed into little pellets and then stuck together with straws and grass. Inside the nest is padded with feathers. The barn swallow is steel blue black with a breast that is chestnut colored.

Other common swallows of North America include the cliff swallow, which has a light brown patch on its rump, the tree swallow, the bank swallow and the purple martin, which is also a member of the swallow family.

Female swallows lay between three and nine eggs.

Most swallows fly great distances at the end of summer to avoid winter weather. They travel by day and rest at night. Some of the barn swallows have been known to tly as many as 10,000 miles during their yearly migrations.