What should I do if I find a bird's nest in my house?

It's not as complicated as it seems! Swallows are protected in most countries, so removing the nest without permission can get you into serious legal trouble. The best thing is to leave them until the chicks fly off on their own, which usually takes between 3 to 4 weeks from when they're born, and then the family naturally leaves.

If you really need to remove it, contact your local environmental authorities because they have to authorize it first.

Swallows typically stay in a nest for 3 to 4 months, from when they arrive in spring until they leave toward the end of summer or early fall. That gives you a clear timeframe for how long you'd have to live with them if you decide to let them stay.

On the legal side, yes, swallows are protected in practically everywhere, and removing an active nest (with eggs or chicks) can get you into serious legal trouble. Some countries will even fine you if you do it without permission. What I did when I had a similar situation was simply let them finish their cycle. At first I was worried about the noise, the droppings, all that, but honestly it wasn't that bad. They come and go, feed the chicks, and then they leave. The mess concentrates underneath the nest, so if you can put cardboard or something down there to contain the droppings, problem solved. Then you clean up just once when they're gone.

If you really can't tolerate them, your legal option is to contact your local environmental or wildlife authorities to ask for permission before touching anything. Sometimes they'll even guide you on how to do a safe removal without harming the birds. But honestly, waiting three months is way easier than hunting down permits and dealing with what could come after if you remove them without authorization. Plus swallows eat tons of insects, so they're actually doing you a favor.

Basically you're in a situation where you need to wait. Swallows leave on their own once they're done raising their chicks, which usually happens between late August and September. In most Latin American countries they're protected by law, so actively removing the nest while there are birds or eggs can get you into real legal trouble. After they leave, then you can remove the nest without any issues if you want to.

What most people don't mention is that they're going to leave quite a mess in your garage while they're there. Guano, feathers, scraps of food they bring for the chicks. It's uncomfortable but temporary. If it bothers you too much, you can put something under the nest to catch the dirt, but avoid touching the nest itself while there's activity. The thing is, trying to remove it or damage it while they're there is counterproductive legally and also stressful for the birds.

On the practical side, if this becomes an annual pattern you don't want to keep dealing with, after they leave in fall you can seal off those spaces under the eaves to keep them from coming back next year. But while they're nesting, it's better to leave them alone. They're relatively clean compared to other birds and they'll leave naturally in a few months.

If the swallows are already there, the most practical thing is to let them nest in peace because they'll leave on their own in a couple of months, and for next season you can install some netting or deflectors on the roof to keep them from coming back! that way you won't have to deal with any legal procedures or anything complicated.