Tree Swallow

(Tachycineta bicolor)

Conservation Status
Tree Swallow
Photo by Wayne Rasmussen
  IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern

 
  NatureServe

N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding

SNRB - Unranked Breeding

 
  Minnesota

not listed

 
           
           
 
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  
           
 

Maplewood, MN - Maplewood Hts Park

 
    Tree Swallow      
 

Bill Reynolds

 
 

a clutch of Tree Swallow chicks

 
    Tree Swallow      
           
 

Tree Swallow chicks

 
    Tree Swallow      
           
 

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

 
    Tree Swallow      
           
 
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
 
       
 

Share your video of this bird.

 
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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
DATE
 
   
 
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
 
           
 

Report a sighting of this bird.

 
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Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com.
Be sure to include a location.
 
  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
 
 

Afton State Park

Blaine Wetland Sanctuary

Blue Devil Valley SNA

Blue Mounds State Park

Bonanza Prairie SNA

Boot Lake SNA

Bur Oak WMA

Camden State Park

Cedar Mountain SNA

Chippewa Prairie

Clinton Prairie SNA

Des Moines River SNA

Edward Velishek Memorial WMA

Felton Prairie SNA, Bicentennial Unit

Frontenac State Park

Glendalough State Park

Great River Bluffs State Park

Glynn Prairie SNA

Grey Cloud Dunes SNA

Hamden Slough National Wildlife Refuge

Hastings Sand Coulee SNA

Hole-in-the-Mountain Prairie

Holthe Prairie SNA

Kasota Prairie

Keller Regional Park

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

Maplewood State Park

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

River Terrace Prairie SNA

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

Wood-Rill SNA

Woodland Trails Regional Park

Yellow Bank Hills SNA

Zumbro Falls Woods SNA

 

 

 

Binoculars

 

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