Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 4.7 in
12 cm - Wingspan
- 10.6 in
27 cm - Weight
- 0.5 oz
14 g
Other Names
- Hirondelle à face blanche (French)
- Golondrina verde-violeta (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Violet-green Swallow is very similar to the Tree Swallow, both in appearance and ecology, and their ranges overlap. However, it is more closely related to two other swallows found in the Caribbean: the Golden and Bahama swallows.
- A pair of Violet-green Swallows was observed assisting a pair of Western Bluebirds in raising young. The swallows guarded the nest and tended the bluebird nestlings, and after the bluebirds fledged, the swallows used the nest site for their own young.
Habitat
Open Woodland
Breeds in open woodlands, especially at middle elevations
Food
Insects
Flying insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 4–6 eggs
- Egg Description
- White.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless with sparse down
Nest Description
Nest a shallow cup of grass, small twigs, rootlets, and straw placed in hole in tree, cliff cavity, or nest box. Lined with feathers.
Nest Placement
Cavity
Behavior
Aerial Forager
Catches insects in flight. May forage in large flocks.
Conservation
Least Concern
Ability to nest in remote areas and near people has kept populations relatively stable.
Credits
- Brown, C. R., A. M. Knott, and E. J. Damrose. 1992. Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina). In The Birds of North America, No. 14 (A. Poole, P. Stettenheim, and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
- Pyle, P. 1997. Identification Guide to North American Birds. Part I. Columbidae to Ploceidae . Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA.
- Whittingham, L. A., B. Slikas, D. W. Winkler, and F. H. Sheldon. 2002. Phylogeny of the tree swallow genus, Tachycineta (Aves: Hirundinidae), by Bayesian analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 22: 430-441.