Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows Have Returned

Tree Swallow

 The Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) is a common New Brunswick swallow.  They winter farther north than of any of our swallows so are the last to leave in the fall and the first to arrive in the spring.    How nice is the day when they first arrive, twittering over our fields and waterways looking for early insects!

Tree Swallows spend the winters in the most southern parts of the US, Mexico and the Caribbean islands.  They summer in the central and northern US and almost all of Canada.  They nest in abandoned tree cavities or readily accept nest boxes set out for them by people.  They are hardier than other swallow species, feeding on mainly insects but also seeds and berries when needed.

Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows are beautiful.  Their upper parts are a brilliant iridescent greenish blue.  The underparts are a clean white.  Their wings and tail are a grayish black.  The greenish blue covers their eyes and cheeks, a feature which separates them from the western Violet-green Swallow.  Their tails are notched, a fact which can separate them in flight from the Barn Swallow which has a deeply forked tail.  In flight they show the slightly notched tail and a broad-based wing.  Juvenile Tree Swallows are greyish-brown on the upper parts with clean white underparts, like the adults.

Tree Swallow

The Tree Swallow prefers to breed in open areas near water.  They like to hawk insects over fields, marshes, swamps, rivers and lakes.

The Tree Swallow was first described in 1808 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot, a French Ornithologist.  An interesting behaviour I have seen this species display is an aerial game (or fighting as described by some) with a feather.  They appear to play chase with it.  This may indeed be a game since they are so agile and energetic.  They do like to place feathers in their nests so it may be competition for nest feathers.  According to iBird Pro investigations on this behaviour are ongoing.

Tree Swallow