Tree Swallow
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| Tree Swallow | ||||||||||||||
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| Missing image Tachycineta-bicolor-002.jpg Tree Swallow | ||||||||||||||
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| Tachycineta bicolor (Vieillot, 1808) |
The Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, is a migratory passerine bird that breeds in North America and winters in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
This swallow averages 13.5 cm (5 inches) long and weighs 20g long. The bill is tiny. The adult Tree Swallow has iridiscent blue-green upperparts, white underparts, and a forked tail; the female has duller colours than the male. The juvenile plumage is dull brown above and may have hint of a gray breast band.
Tree Swallows nest in cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They subsist primarily on a diet of insects, supplemented with small quantities of fruit.