per day, although there are instances of the female skipping a day in laying. The incubation period ranges from 17 to 20 days, with the female incubating the young. The young usually fledge 24 to 27 days after they hatch. Diet This species is an aerial insectivore, usually feeding on flies, Hemiptera (or true bugs), and various other insects. It usually can be seen to forage low to the ground, either by itself or in small groups. It is not usually found to forage above , and very rarely above . Black swifts flying below are frequently found near golden swallows when the swallows are foraging. It is known to forage in most habitats except the forest. Generally, the golden swallow starts to forage at dawn, with activity increasing in the morning and decreasing during the afternoon. Predators The golden swallow is victim to various mammalian nest predators, including the introduced small Indian mongoose, feral cats, and multiple species of rats. These predators are thought to be linked to the extinction of the nominate subspecies in Jamaica. Nests on or near the ground in mines are especially vulnerable. Status The golden swallow is considered to be a vulnerable species by the IUCN. This status is on account of the small, fragmented, and decreasing population and range. The nominate subspecies is extinct; predation appears to be a factor. The remaining T. e. sclateri population is declining, mostly due to shifting agriculture and predation by introduced mammalian species. The population is estimated to be anywhere from 1,500 to 7,000 mature birds, in an area estimated to be . This swallow is legally protected in Jamaica, although it is extinct there. Not known to the early settlers on the island, it was considered to be common in the 1800s, but it declined and eventually became rare in the 1890s. In the last half of the 1900s, it was restricted to the area of Cockpit Country east to the Blue Mountains. The last specimens collected were a pair from Portland Parish on 9 August 1908; the last confirmed sighting was in the Blue Mountains in 1950. It was regarded as rare from the 1960s to the 1980s, although its precarious status was not realised at the time. In 1987, the last major roosting site of this subspecies was destroyed. Birdwatchers in the Gosse Bird Club reported two probable sightings of several birds on Barbecue