Tree Swallow

(Tachycineta bicolor)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

NatureServe

N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

Minnesota

not listed

 
Tree Swallow
Photo by Wayne Rasmussen
 
Description

The upper parts are iridescent blue-black in the summer, iridescent green-black in the fall prior to migration. The underparts are white with no markings on the chin or breast. The tail is shallowly forked.

 

Size

5½ in length

14½ wingspan

 

Voice

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

Open areas usually near water, marshes, lake shores, beaver ponds, field fencelines

Ecology

Migration

Late March to late October

 

Nesting

 

 

Food

 

Distribution

Occurrence

Common to abundant migrant and breeder

 

Maps

The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map

Taxonomy

Class

Aves (birds)

Order

Passeriformes (perching birds)

Family

Hirundinidae (swallows and martins)

Genus

Tachycineta (tree swallows)

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Iridoprocne bicolor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visitor Photos
 

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Cynthia Cavanaugh

Tree Swallow

Wayne Rasmussen

Urban parks host a large variety of wildlife if you really spend some time observing.

Tree Swallow   Tree Swallow
     
Tree Swallow    

Maplewood, MN - Maplewood Hts Park

   

Bill Reynolds

Tree Swallow   Tree Swallow

a clutch of Tree Swallow chicks

 

Tree Swallow chicks

     
Tree Swallow    

These swallows love using my Blue Bird houses that I have posted about the property.

 

 

MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
   

 

   

 

 

Camera

 

Slideshows

Tree Swallow
Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow
JMC Nature Photos

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow
jt893x

Tree Swallow

 

slideshow

Visitor Videos
 

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Cynthia Cavanaugh

Tree Swallow 1
Jul 4, 2022

About

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

7/3/2022

Photo by Cynthia Cavanaugh

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Birds/Tree_Swallow.html

 

Tree Swallow 2
7/3/2022

About

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)

7/3/2022

Photo by Cynthia Cavanaugh

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Birds/Tree_Swallow.html

Other Videos

Tree Swallow Singing
Wandering Sole TV

About

Published on May 10, 2013

A tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) singing in Creston Valley, British Columbia. I added an extra clip at the end of a swallow that became very alert and animated after hearing the call of another nearby swallow.
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Tags: "tree swallow song" "tree swallow call" "tree swallow calling" "bird calls tree swallow" "Wandering Sole TV" "tree swallow chatter call" "territorial call"

Tree Swallow Portrait
ebirdr

About

Published on Aug 19, 2013

The Tree Swallow is common across North America. It can be seen in open areas near water and woods. It has dark, iridescent blue-green above, which may be greener in fall, and is clear white below. The white of cheek does not extend above the eye or higher up on rump as in Violet-green Swallow. Immature is gray-brown above, white below with a grayish diffuse breast band; similar Bank Swallow has distinct breast band. It nests in tree cavities and bird houses. The song is a cheerful series of liquid twitters.

Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebird
WIld Bird Video Productions

About

Uploaded on Feb 26, 2011

Tree swallows and a male eastern bluebird from Maine. © Garth McElroy

License at http://www.paya.com/videos/135226

Tree Swallow Monitoring in Wisconsin's Areas of Concern
WIDNRTV

About

Published on Jul 3, 2012

www.umesc.usgs.gov/documents/fact_sheets­/swallows.pdf.

Scientists are monitoring pollutant levels in the tree swallow to keep track of progress as clean-up and restoration work continues in the Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Five Areas of Concern occur in Wisconsin along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior.

Partial funding for this video was provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Amazing Tree Swallow Roost - A Must Watch! - (Tachycineta bicolor)
Mark Vance

About

Uploaded on Jan 4, 2012

Amazing Tree Swallow Roost - A Must Watch! (Tachycineta bicolor)By: Mark H. Vance Over 3 millions Tree Swallows come down to roost for the night. You don't see many videos like this one because it is very dark when they come down. It doesn't look like it, but at the end of the video it is soo dark the camera can see what I can't with my own eyes.

This was in Sarasota, Florida on Jan 1st 2012 - a great day!

I shot this with a Canon 7D with a 100-400mm lens. At the end I had a 50mm f/1.4 lens.

http://youtube.com/markinsrq5

Mark Vance
5342 Clark Rd #144
Sarasota, Fl 34233

The Celery Fields - Sarasota, Florida Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/groups/218447...

 

Camcorder

Visitor Sightings
 

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Alex
8/10/2016

Location: Beaver lake, Saint Paul

There are thousands here in the trees ever year.  They are very loud and constantly make this crowish call well they perch at night.  When I examined them with my flashlight they are what appears to be solid bright green?  They are about the size of a ping pong ball if not smaller.  If they possess any other markings it's hard to tell since they have their heads under the wing. 

Wayne Rasmussen
6/2/2016

Location: Maplewood Heights Park

Urban parks host a large variety of wildlife if you really spend some time observing.

Tree Swallow
Wayne Rasmussen
5/29/2016

Location: Maplewood, MN - Maplewood Hts Park

Wayne's World of Graphics
http://waynelr.smugmug.com/
http://waynelr.blogspot.com/

Tree Swallow
Bill Reynolds
7/14/2011

Location: Pennington Co.

Tree Swallow
Bill Reynolds
6/1/2003

Location: Numedal Township, Pennington Co., Minnesota

a clutch of Tree Swallow chicks

Tree Swallow
Bill Reynolds
6/1/2003

Location: Pennington Co.

The environment here is prairie and farm land, no to very little open water at all. These swallows love using my Blue Bird houses that I have posted about the property.

Tree Swallow
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings

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Frontenac State Park

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Great River Bluffs State Park

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Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Hastings Sand Coulee SNA

Hole-in-the-Mountain Prairie

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Kasota Prairie

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Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Kellogg Weaver Unit

Lake Louise State Park

Lake Maria State Park

Langhei Prairie SNA

Lawrence Creek SNA

Lost Valley Prairie SNA

Maplewood Heights Park

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Minnesota Valley NWR, Black Dog Unit

Minnesota Valley State Recreation Area, Lawrence Unit

Moose Lake State Park

Murphy-Hanrehan Park Reserve

Myre-Big Island State Park

Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, Pavia Unit

Oronoco Prairie SNA

Otter Tail Prairie SNA

Rice Lake State Park

Richard M. & Mathilde Rice Elliott SNA

Ritter Farm Park

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Robert Ney Memorial Park Reserve

Rockville County Park

Roscoe Prairie SNA

Sandpiper Prairie SNA

Savage Fen SNA

Schaefer Prairie

Sedan Brook Prairie SNA

Shetek WMA, East Unit

Spring Lake Regional Park

Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve

Tamarack Nature Center

Tiedemann WMA

Town Hall Prairie

Tribute WMA

Twin Valley Prairie Addition

Upper Sioux Agency State Park

Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and WMA

Vermillion River WMA

Westwood Hills Nature Center

Whitetail Woods Regional Park

William O’Brien State Park

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Woodland Trails Regional Park

Yellow Bank Hills SNA

Zumbro Falls Woods SNA

 

 

Binoculars

 

Created: 7/1/2009

Last Updated:

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