Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina
The Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) is a common swallow found in 10 countries, weighing about 14 g. The violet-green swallow is a small North American passerine bird in the swallow family.
About the Violet-green Swallow
The violet-green swallow is a small North American passerine bird in the swallow family. These aerial insectivores are distributed along the west coast from Alaska to Mexico, extending as far east as Montana and Texas. With an appearance very similar to the tree swallow, these individuals can be identified by the white rump side-patches that appear to separate their green back and purple tail. Violet-green swallows are secondary cavity nesters, found in a number of habitats including deciduous and coniferous forest. In addition to nesting in tree holes within these habitats, they are also widely observed nesting in the cracks of large cliffs.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The distinct body form of swallows distinguishes them from other passerine birds. Their long pointed wings and slim, streamlined body evolved to catch insects while in flight; the violet-green swallow is no exception. With an average body length of 12–13 cm (4.7–5.1 in), the violet-green swallow is slightly shorter and appears more compact in flight compared to some other members of the genus Tachycineta. The violet-green swallow most closely resembles the tree swallow T. Voice: There are many knowledge gaps surrounding the vocalization behaviour of violet-green swallows. These gaps include vocalizations made during early development, alarm calls and the daily pattern of calls. The little information available suggests two main classes of vocalizations, the chee-chee calls and twitter calls.
What the Violet-green Swallow sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: March, April, May, June, July, August, September, with peak activity in May. It is a summer visitor species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Violet-green Swallow?
- The distinct body form of swallows distinguishes them from other passerine birds. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Violet-green Swallow?
- The Violet-green Swallow is a tiny sized bird weighing about 14 g.
- Where can you see a Violet-green Swallow?
- The Violet-green Swallow occurs in 10 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras.
- What does a Violet-green Swallow sound like?
- You can listen to a field recording of the Violet-green Swallow on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Violet-green Swallow?
- The Violet-green Swallow is most easily confused with the Chilean Swallow, the Mangrove Swallow and the White-winged Swallow.
- Is the Violet-green Swallow endangered?
- The Violet-green Swallow is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Violet-green Swallow for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.