How to Identify aViolet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina · 4.3–5.1 in (11–13 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Metallic green back and crown with a violet rump and tail, white underparts, and white cheek patches rising above the eye.
Female
Duller and browner above, with a less clean white face.
Male photo: Alan Vernon / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0 · Female photo: Alan Vernon / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- White flank patches nearly meeting over the rump
- White cheek extending above and behind the eye
- Green and violet iridescence in good light
- Very short tail and long wings
Similar species
What it sounds like
A rapid twittering chatter and a soft "chee-chee" given in flight.
Behaviour that gives it away
Flies higher and faster than most swallows, often feeding hundreds of feet up in mixed flocks.
Habitat & range
Open woodland, canyons, mountains and towns throughout the West.
When you'll see it
A summer visitor that arrives to breed in western North America.
What it eats
Flying insects caught high in the air.
Did you know?
The white patches that curl up over its rump look like saddlebags in flight, and separate it from every other swallow at a glance.
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