Species

Tree swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

An iridescent blue-green swallow that gathers in huge winter swirls over Georgia's coastal marshes.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Migration

At a glance

Size: About 12 to 15 cm long
Weight: About 16 to 25 g
Habitat: Marshes, fields and open water
Diet: Flying insects; bayberries and wax myrtle berries in winter
In Georgia: A common migrant and winter visitor, especially on the coast
Voice: Liquid, chirping twitters
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Glossy blue-green above; clean white below; slightly notched tail
Told apart from: Purple martin, which is larger and dark
Told apart from: Barn swallow, which has a deeply forked tail and rusty underparts
Where to look: Over coastal marshes in winter, often in huge flocks

Behaviour

Tree swallows can survive on wax myrtle berries in cold weather, which lets them winter farther north than other swallows. Winter flocks form swirling clouds of thousands.

Why they matter

Tree swallows are one of the most studied birds in North America, because they use nest boxes readily. Their ability to eat berries lets them winter on Georgia's coast, where their swirling flocks are a spectacle.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A tree cavity or nest box lined with grass and feathers
Eggs — Usually four to seven
Incubation — About 11 to 20 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 18 to 22 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Wax myrtle hedges along the coast feed wintering tree swallows.

Misconceptions

Swallows leave for winter. Tree swallows winter on Georgia's coast.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering flocks	Wintering	Migrating north	Last birds leave	Nesting farther north	Nesting	Young fledging	Migrants arriving	Migrants	Flocks building	Wintering flocks	Wintering flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 89 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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