Tree swallow: Difference between revisions
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| status_system = IUCN3.1 |
| status_system = IUCN3.1 |
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| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN|id=22712057 |title=''Tachycineta bicolor'' |assessor=BirdLife International |assessor-link=BirdLife International |version=2013.2 |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2013}}</ref> |
| status_ref = <ref>{{IUCN|id=22712057 |title=''Tachycineta bicolor'' |assessor=BirdLife International |assessor-link=BirdLife International |version=2013.2 |year=2012 |accessdate=26 November 2013}}</ref> |
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| image = Tree |
| image = Tree swallow at Stroud Preserve.jpg |
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| image_caption= At |
| image_caption= At Stroud Preserve in [[West Chester, Pennsylvania]], US |
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| range_map = Tree Swallow-rangemap.gif |
| range_map = Tree Swallow-rangemap.gif |
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''Iridoprocne bicolor'' |
''Iridoprocne bicolor'' |
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The '''tree swallow''' (''Tachycineta bicolor'') is a [[bird migration|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]]. |
The '''tree swallow''' (''Tachycineta bicolor'') is a [[bird migration|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]]. |
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==Behaviour== |
==Behaviour== |
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Being highly social outside of the breeding season, tree swallows may form flocks of several thousand birds near roost sites.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tachycineta_bicolor.html Animal Diversity Web: Tree Swallow]</ref> Flocks near [[Vacherie, Louisiana]], were estimated to contain well over 1 million birds during December 2009.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-85/1261214766112030.xml&storylist=louisiana Ed Cullen. Millions of tree swallows swirl down in Vacherie. AP Louisiana News. Posted 19 December 2009.]</ref> |
Being highly social outside of the breeding season, tree swallows may form flocks of several thousand birds near roost sites.<ref>[http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Tachycineta_bicolor.html Animal Diversity Web: Tree Swallow]</ref> Flocks near [[Vacherie, Louisiana]], were estimated to contain well over 1 million birds during December 2009.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/newsflash/index.ssf?/base/national-85/1261214766112030.xml&storylist=louisiana Ed Cullen. Millions of tree swallows swirl down in Vacherie. AP Louisiana News. Posted 19 December 2009.]</ref> |
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==Breeding== |
==Breeding== |
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[[File:Tree Swallow-27527-4c.jpg|thumb|left|Mating]] |
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[[File:Nesting Tree Swallow in Herkimer County, New York crop.jpg|thumb|left|Nesting]] |
[[File:Nesting Tree Swallow in Herkimer County, New York crop.jpg|thumb|left|Nesting]] |
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[[File:Tachycineta bicolor MWNH 1895.JPG|left|thumb|Egg, Collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]] |
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Tree swallows nest in natural or artificial cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They readily use nest boxes, including those built for [[bluebird]]s. Declines in cavity-builder populations are resulting in fewer natural nesting sites for tree swallows, although the swallow population remains healthy. |
Tree swallows nest in natural or artificial cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They readily use nest boxes, including those built for [[bluebird]]s. Declines in cavity-builder populations are resulting in fewer natural nesting sites for tree swallows, although the swallow population remains healthy. |
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Revision as of 07:28, 11 June 2017
Tree swallow | |
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At Stroud Preserve in West Chester, Pennsylvania, US | |
Scientific classification | |
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Species: | T. bicolor
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Binomial name | |
Tachycineta bicolor (
Vieillot , 1808) | |
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Range of T. bicolor Breeding summer visitor Migration visitor Winter visitor
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Synonyms | |
Iridoprocne bicolor |
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.
Description
This swallow averages 13.5 cm (5.3 in) long and weighs about 20 g (0.71 oz). The bill is tiny. The adult tree swallow has iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts, and a very slightly forked tail. The female usually has duller colours than the male, often more greenish than the more bluish male. The juvenile plumage is dull grey-brown above and may have hint of a grey breast band.
Behaviour
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3c/Tachycineta_bicolor_-Central_New_York%2C_USA_-flying-8.jpg/220px-Tachycineta_bicolor_-Central_New_York%2C_USA_-flying-8.jpg)
Being highly social outside of the breeding season, tree swallows may form flocks of several thousand birds near roost sites.[2] Flocks near Vacherie, Louisiana, were estimated to contain well over 1 million birds during December 2009.[3]
Breeding
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Tree_Swallow-27527-4c.jpg/220px-Tree_Swallow-27527-4c.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e2/Nesting_Tree_Swallow_in_Herkimer_County%2C_New_York_crop.jpg/220px-Nesting_Tree_Swallow_in_Herkimer_County%2C_New_York_crop.jpg)
Tree swallows nest in natural or artificial cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They readily use nest boxes, including those built for bluebirds. Declines in cavity-builder populations are resulting in fewer natural nesting sites for tree swallows, although the swallow population remains healthy.
The tree swallow nest consists of multiple layers of grasses and thin twigs, and is often lined with feathers from other species. The female lays four to seven white eggs and incubates them by herself. The eggs hatch in about 14 days and the hatchlings are
Tree swallows are typically single-brooded, although they may attempt a second nest if the first fails early in the season. There are records of parents raising two successful broods in a season.
Feeding
They subsist primarily on a diet of insects, sometimes supplemented with small quantities of fruit. They are excellent fliers and take off from their perch and acrobatically catch insects in their bills in mid-air.
Etymology
The genus name is from Ancient Greek takhukinetos, "moving quickly", and the specific bicolor is Latin and means "two-coloured".[4]
References
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Wikispecies-logo.svg/34px-Wikispecies-logo.svg.png)
- Tree swallow - Tachycineta bicolor - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Tree swallow species account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- How to create and manage nest box projects for tree swallows
- "Tree swallow media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Tree swallow photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Tree swallow, borealforest.org