Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Tree Swallows are known for 'feather play,' where they drop a feather in mid-air and dive to catch it before it hits the water.
- Scientific name
- Tachycineta bicolor
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Hirundinidae › Tachycineta
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Lakeshores, marshes, and open hayfields near bodies of water.
- Diet
- Primarily flying insects such as dragonflies, damselflies, and beetles; occasionally berries during inclement weather.
- Range
- North America, Central America, Caribbean
- Size
- 12-15 cm length, 16-25 g weight
- Lifespan
- 3-6 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Pesticide use reducing insect populations, loss of standing dead trees for nesting, and competition with invasive species.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless. Enjoy their aerial displays from a distance of at least 5 meters. If you encounter a nest box, do not linger, as human presence can stress the parents. If a bird appears injured or grounded, contact a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
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.
Photo: Carter Dorscht, CC0, via iNaturalist
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