Tachycineta bicolor
male
The Tree Swallow has contrastingly bicolored plumage. The sexes are subtly dissimilar. Adult males and many females have blackish upperparts, with a blue sheen seen in good light, and demarcated as a distinct dark cap on the head. The underparts are white. Some females, and most adults in fall, have browner upperparts with little or no sheen. Juveniles are similar to a dull adult, sometimes with a hint of a gray breast band. In flight, all birds have triangular wings and a slightly forked tail.
The Tree Swallow is present as a breeding species mainly from April to September. Most birds head for Central America for the rest of the year, although small numbers winter across southern U.S.A. The species catches insects in flight and sometimes gathers in flocks if the feeding is good; when times are hard, it will also eat berries in winter. It nests in treeholes but will also use suitable nestboxes.
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 5.5–6 in (14–15 cm)
FOOD Mainly insects, but also berries
HABITAT Open habitats, especially wetlands, with dead trees
STATUS Widespread and common summer visitor
VOICE Call and song comprise a series of whistling chirps
