Tachycineta thalassina
male
The Violet-green Swallow recalls a Tree Swallow but has a white face (the dark cap extends below the eye in Tree Swallow) and striking white sides to the rump. The sexes are similar. Adults have a greenish back and wing coverts, a greenish-brown cap, and a violet sheen to the wings and uppertail. The underparts are white. A few females have browner upperparts, as do all juveniles, which are duller still, with a grubby gray face. In flight, all birds have narrower, longer wings than Tree Swallow; these extend beyond the tail in perched birds.
The Violet-green Swallow is present as a breeding species mainly from April to September. It spends the rest of the year in Central America. It catches insects on the wing and gathers in flocks where the feeding is good. The species nests in treeholes.
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 5.5 in (14 cm)
FOOD Insects
HABITAT A range of open habitats, from coasts and deserts to lightly forested mountain slopes
STATUS Widespread and common summer visitor
VOICE Song and calls comprise a range of twittering and whistling notes
