Violet-Green Swallows, Violet-Green Swallow Pictures, Violet-Green Swallow Facts

Illustration by H. Douglas Pratt

Map

The western counterpart of the tree swallow, the violet-green swallow has narrower wings and a shorter tail. This species frequently uses nest boxes. Polytypic (3 ssp., none separable in the field; lepida in North America). Length 5.3" (13 cm).

Identification Adult male: upperparts of male are dark velvet green, more bronze on the crown, becoming purple on rump and uppertail coverts. Underparts are white, extending onto cheek, to behind and above the eye. Lores are dusky. White of flanks extends onto the sides of the rump, forming 2 white patches from above in flight. Wings and short, slightly forked tail are black. Underwing coverts grayish. Adult female: Somewhat duller than the male, browner on the head, face and ear coverts. Throat is washed slightly with ashy brown. Juvenile: similar to adults, but green and purple are replaced with brownish. White on cheek and behind eye is much less extensive. Slight pale brownish wash on breast. Tertials and inner secondaries are very narrowly edged pale grayish. Flight: longer, narrower wings and shorter tail than the tree swallow; the violet-green has a more fluttering flight style.

Similar Species The tree swallow is larger, entirely greenish blue above, and lacks white around the back of the eye and on the sides of the rump. The larger white-throated swift has narrower pointed wings and black-and-white underparts.

Voice Call: various short notes, including a twitter, and chee-chee notes. Alarm call is a zwrack similar to that of the purple martin.

Status and Distribution Common. Breeding: occurs in a variety of habitats, including open areas in montane coniferous and deciduous forests, coastal regions, and even in higher elevation desert areas. Nest: it brings a variety of grasses and stems, as well as feathers, to an abandoned cavity in trees, rock crevices, dirt banks, or columnar cactuses; 4–6 eggs (April–May). Migration: in spring, arrives in southern Arizona and southern California by late February, Alaska by early May. Departs Alaska by mid-August, lingering into mid-October in British Columbia and Washington. In the Southwest departs late September–late October. Winter: tidal flats to interior mountains. A few birds in southern California, but most from Mexico south to Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Vagrant: casual in western Alaska and east of the Rockies, with most sightings in the East September–November.

Population There is no documented effect of human activity on numbers; the introduction of the house sparrow and European starling may have reduced populations in urban areas of southern Canada.

—From the National Geographic book Complete Birds of North America, 2006

More Nighthawks, Swifts, and Swallows

Bird Features

Backyard Birding Central

Want to learn more about our feathered friends of the sky? Visit our Backyard Birding site for facts, photos, videos, and more.
What's That Bird?

Identify your backyard visitors in a flash! Just answer four simple questions to search our database of 150 backyard birds common to Canada and the U.S.

See More Bird Features »

Photo Galleries

See More Bird Photos »

Bird News

Why Are Birds Falling From the Sky?

Seemingly freak bird die-offs in Arkansas and elsewhere are making headlines. But is it just hype? And what causes airborne die-offs?
Photos: Bizarre Arkansas Bird Die-Off

Birds were falling from the sky and fish were found floating dead en masse in two recent but unrelated Arkansas die-offs, experts say.

See More Animal News »

Games & More

See More Animal Games »

Birds A-Z

Animal News

Bird Books

National Geographic Magazine

Bowerbirds Gallery

To woo a "Mary," bowerbirds decorate with shells, cans, even pink paper clips.
Counting Cranes Gallery

How many whooping cranes are there? Not enough. See photos of these birds in action.

Newsletters

Jane Goodall

Over the course of 50 years Jane has witnessed the lives of three generations of chimpanzees.
Explorer Moment

Ed Viesturs shares an early morning view from Everest.

From the Magazine

Gannets Pictures

Champion divers but clumsy landers, doting parents but hostile neighbors—northern gannets abound in contradictions.
Estonia's Ural Owls

Photographer Sven Začek provides an intimate view of this large raptor.