Friday, March 20, 2026

Question: Mission San Juan Capistrano is known for the return of swallows each spring, but from what South American country are they traditionally said to migrate?

Answer: Argentina. Tradition holds the swallows winter near Goya in northeastern Argentina before returning each March, though scientists debate the exact migration route. The celebration dates to the 1920s, when Father St. John O’Sullivan invited the birds to nest at the Mission after seeing their homes destroyed.