Swallow Building a Mud Nest Colouring Page

A swallow adds a small beakful of mud to a cup-shaped nest fixed beneath a sheltered ledge. The bird grips the nest edge while fresh mud pellets form the rounded wall. Its pointed folded wings and deeply forked tail make the busy nest builder easy to recognise. How to colour: Use glossy blue-black for the crown, back and wings, chestnut red for the forehead and throat, and warm cream for the belly. Colour the forked tail dark navy with small white accents and use pale grey for the bill and feet. Build the nest with tan, ochre and earthy brown mud, adding darker brown between the pellets. Colour the ledge warm grey. Lay down light pencil layers first, follow the long wing feathers with smooth strokes, then use small circular marks on the mud to give the nest texture.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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Make it an activity

Choose a favourite colour palette
Add a simple background
Display the finished artwork

Grown-up note: Please supervise printing and choose age-appropriate art materials.