Tree Swallow

Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor)
Species Code: TABI

Description: The tree swallow is about five inches long. It has a forked tail, metallic green to blue head, back and wing feathers and white feathers on its underside. Females: are duller in color than males.

Calls: The call is a series of repeated whistles and twitters.
Listen to calls of this species »

Range/ Habitat: In North America tree swallows breed from Alaska east to Newfoundland, Canada and south to California, Colorado, Nebraska and Maryland. It winters north to southern California, the Gulf Coast and the Carolinas.

Click the range map to learn more about the distribution of Tree Swallows in Washington.

Diet: Tree swallows eat insects and berries.

Nesting: The female tree swallow lays four to six eggs in a cup-shaped nest. Their nests are plentifully lined with soft materials, especially feathers. The nests are usually built in a hole in a tree or in bird houses. The eggs hatch in about two weeks. The chicks fledge (leave the nest) in about three weeks.

Behavior: The tree swallow can be found in wet habitats like flooded meadows, marshes, lake shores, streams and open areas near woods. The tree swallow is a short-distance migrator. They gather in large flocks along the coast in the fall. They are the first swallows to reappear in the spring.