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 about 20g. The bill is tiny. The adult Tree Swallow has iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts, and a very slightly forked tail. The female usually has duller colours than the male, often more greenish than the more bluish male. The juvenile plumage is dull grey-brown above and may have hint of a gray breast band.
[edit] Breeding
Tree Swallows nest in natural or artificial cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They also readily nest in nest boxes maintained by people, often for Eastern Bluebirds. Habitat loss is a concern for Tree Swallows.
The Tree Swallow nest consists of multiple layers of small twigs and grasses and is lined with large feathers. (As such, it is easy to differentiate from that of an Eastern Bluebird.) The female lays 4 to 6 white eggs and incubates them by herself. The eggs hatch in about 14 days and the hatchlings are not precocious and need to be fed by both parents. The hatchlings typically fledge in 16-24 days. Tree Swallows sometimes cover their eggs with feathers when leaving the nest unattended.
Tree swallows typically have only one brood in a year, although there are records of a second successful brood.
They subsist primarily on a diet of insects, sometimes supplemented with small quantities of fruit. Tree Swallows are excellent fliers and take off from their perch and acrobatically catch insects in their bills in mid-air.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Tachycineta bicolor. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[edit] External links
- Tree Swallow at USGS[[Category:Birds of Venezuela|Swallow, Tree]
