Tree Swallow
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{{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Tree Swallow | image = Tachycineta bicolor1.jpg | image_width = 250px | regnum = Animalia | phylum = Chordata | classis = Aves | ordo = Passeriformes | familia = Hirundinidae | genus = Tachycineta | species = T. bicolor | binomial = Tachycineta bicolor | binomial_authority = (Vieillot, 1808) }}
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.
This swallow averages 13.5 cm (5 inches) long and weighs about 20g. 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 gray breast band.
Tree Swallows nest in natural or artificial cavities near water and are often found in large flocks. They subsist primarily on a diet of insects, sometimes supplemented with small quantities of fruit.