White-winged Swallow (Tachycineta albiventer) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

RiverineCavity nestSmall · 18 g

What the White-winged Swallow sounds like

Sonogram of the White-winged Swallow: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call, calls · Sucumbíos: 'La Selva Jungle Lodge', n bank Río Napo, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Flight call · Pastaza: Kapawi area, left bank Río Pastaza, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The adult white-winged swallow is 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs 14–17 g (0.49–0.60 oz). It has iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts and rump, and white edgings to the secondary flight feathers. The wings are otherwise black, along with the tail. It has dark brown eyes and a black bill and legs. The sexes are similar, although it is noted that the females have slightly less white on the wing. Juveniles have grayer underparts and are duller in general when compared to the adults. The juvenile also has less white on the wing.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the White-winged Swallow

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the White-winged Swallow

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 13 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Brazil Colombia Peru Ecuador Trinidad & Tobago Venezuela Guyana Argentina Bolivia French Guiana Suriname Paraguay Grenada

Recorded as a rare visitor in Martinique.

About the White-winged Swallow

The white-winged swallow is a resident breeding swallow in tropical South America found in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad, and Argentina. It is not found west of the Andes. This swallow is largely non-migratory.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

White-rumped SwallowTachycineta leucorrhoaThe white-rumped swallow measures 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length and weighs 17–21 grams (0.60–0.74 oz).

Mangrove SwallowTachycineta albilineaA relatively small swallow, the mangrove swallow is 11–12 centimetres (4.3–4.7 in) long and weighs about 14 grams (0.5 oz).

Chilean SwallowTachycineta leucopygaThe Chilean swallow is about 13 centimetres (5.1 in) in length and weighs 15–20 grams (0.53–0.71 oz).

Side by side: Violet-green Swallow vs White-winged Swallow · Chilean Swallow vs White-winged Swallow · Mangrove Swallow vs White-winged Swallow · White-rumped Swallow vs White-winged Swallow

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