The Violet-green Swallow is a beautiful little bird who, as the name suggests, has gorgeous bright green and violet-colored plumages. There are three subspecies. One breed lives in the United States and two additional breeds live in Mexico. The three subspecies slightly differ in geographical location and wing length.
About Violet-green Swallows
The easiest way to spot these brilliant birds is to head out to water bodies such as rivers, lakes, and ponds early in the morning. One needs to watch for the birds twittering and swooping over the water, snatching up insects. Violet-green Swallows generally hunt in groups and often hunt with other swifts and Swallow species.
However, it can be difficult to identify a flying Violet-green Swallow as they can fly incredibly fast. The top flying speed recorded is 28 mph, which is faster than the average Peregrine Falcons, the fastest birds of prey. A commendable feat for these meek birds!
Violet-green Swallows are sociable birds that nest in colonies of up to 25 pairs. Nevertheless, on occasion, Swallows nest individually. Moreover, these birds are incredibly helpful. A pair of Violet-green Swallows were observed helping a pair of Western Bluebirds in raising their young. The Swallows tended to the Bluebirds’ nestlings and protected the nest. After the nestlings fledged, the Swallows used the nest for their own young. Violet-green Swallows seem especially interesting, don’t they? Let’s learn a little more about them.
● Violet-green Swallow Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Violet-green Swallow Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Violet-green Swallow Range and Migration, Nesting
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Violet-green Swallow Color Pattern
Adult Violet-green Swallows have pure white underparts. Upperparts are a soft velvety green or greenish-bronze, with a very faint shade of purplish-violet on the nape, into a transverse band.
Male Violet-green Swallows have a bright glossy greenback, and a bronzy-green crown, occiput, and nape. There is a narrow purple and gray collar around the hindneck. The rump is bluish-green. The upper tail coverts are purple and have lateral white patches.
These birds have blackish wing coverts, while the lesser and median series is tipped with bluish-green. These coverts have a deep indigo gloss. The tail feathers are black with a bluish gloss. The white feathers start around the eye and extend down encompassing the cheeks, neck, and undersides.
Female Violet-green Swallows have similar plumages but are often much duller than their male counterparts. The head is noticeably browner with a bronzy-green shade. The sides of the face and auriculars are a dusky brown. The throat has a slight ashy-brown wash.
Juvenile Violet-green Swallows have brown backs, ashy throats, and whiter chests that blend more gradually with darker areas on the head, and usually have some hint of the white pattern encircling the eye.
Violet-green Swallows appear to exhibit a Complex Basic Strategy including a complete preformative and prebasic molts but no prealternate molts.
Description and Identification
To spot these beautiful birds, one must look at lakes or other water bodies at dawn. These birds perform acrobatic stunts over water. They can appear dark initially, but sunlight quickly illuminates their metallic-green backs and iridescent purple rumps.
To pick one out of the crowd, look for the white saddlebags on the sides of the rump and a clean white belly. They are a sight to behold for anyone lucky enough to spot them. The subspecies brachyptera has shorter wings than other subspecies.
Violet-green Swallows resemble Tree Swallows, but they have a brighter green coloring and purple gloss. The white on the face almost encircles the eyes, and the is tail shorter and less forked. Confusion between the two species is most likely in juvenile plumage when both are grayish above and whitish below. They also soar less in general and have faster, more fluttery wingbeats.
Violet-green Swallow Song
Violet-green Swallows do not produce songs. While no distinct or well-defined songs have been identified, scattered evidence of “pre-dawn song flights” have been observed. The vocal range consists of short calls, twitter calls, and alarm calls.
Swallows can produce short “chee-chee” calls that are mono or bi-syllabic and range from 2.5 to over 7 kHz, lasting about 165 milliseconds. These calls occur in pairs that last up to 4 seconds in duration. These calls are used in social contexts around other birds.
The twitter calls are generally monosyllabic and range from 2 to 6.5 kHz. Some syllables have a duration as long as 125 msec and are longer than syllables of “chee-chee” calls. The syllables do not follow a repeated pattern and hence can’t be interpreted as a song. The alarm call “zwrack” is used in high-intensity situations, and is similar to the call of Purple Martins.
Violet-green Swallow Size
Violet-green Swallows are small, round-headed birds. Adult Violet-green Swallows have an average weight of 13.8 to 14.5 grams and an average length of 13 cms from head to tail. Generally, Adult birds of both sexes have an average wingspan of 13 centimeters. No sexual dimorphism is observed.
Scattered evidence suggests that no geographical size differences exist. All three subspecies are the same size on average.
Violet-green Swallow Behavior
Violet-green Swallows are a gregarious species throughout the year. They frequently forage in large groups, often containing over a hundred birds, outside the breeding season. These flocks contain other Violet-green Swallows along with other Swift and Swallow species.
However, they can be territorial during the breeding season, both sexes are vigilant and guard their nests with utmost care. Nonetheless, most birds still choose to nest in colonies. The birds are considered to be monogamous, and both male and female Violet-green Swallows help raise the young, but it is unknown if the birds mate for life. Rarely, a few
female Violet-green Swallows can be promiscuous, and mate with more than one male during a breeding season.
Violet-green Swallows fly at various heights, using rapid wing beats. They skim close to the water surface or the ground and also survey the area by circling at greater heights. They then swoop down in quick succession to grab their prey. Interestingly, the birds can also perform spectacular aerial displays by flying in acrobatic patterns.
Violet-green Swallows also preen and bathe often to avoid catching parasites. These birds bathe by brushing the surface of the water with their feathers. On occasion, they also use rainfall to bathe.
Violet-green Swallow Diet
Violet-green Swallows are pure insectivores. They primarily feed on beetles, ants, wasps, and bees. Seasonal variation in the diet is observed. A study conducted in Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, and California from March to September shows that ants were only eaten between May and September.
Furthermore, it finds that Violet-green Swallows in California consumed a small portion of vegetal matter, but concluded that this was only because the ants had the particular grains when they were consumed. Wasps and bees were consumed the most as they formed 17.48% of the stomach contents examined. The Swallows forage regularly and do not store food.
Violet-green Swallows do not consume any plant matter such as berries or seeds. They drink water by opening their beaks when skimming the water surface and collecting small sips.
Violet-green Swallow Habitat
Violet-green Swallows inhabit open environments close to bodies of water such as meadows, marshes, rivers, shorelines, ravines, ponds, and lakes. These environments have vegetation and an ample moss cover that allows tree canopies to remain moist. This feature is important as the Swallows feed on aerial insects that depend on the moist environments for survival. A drop in the moisture level will result in fewer insects that the birds can feed on.
Violet-green Swallows are flexible when choosing their nesting site. They nest in cavities throughout a wide range of habitats. Mediterranean woodland environments use decaying trees or find holes to build their cavity nests. In Alaska, they typically nest in trees along coastlines and artificial nesting boxes when available. In Mexico, they nest in a wide variety of both urban and rural areas.
Their ability to adapt to temperate and tropical climates, and varying geographical locations, both natural and man-made, is a testament to their innovativeness. This skill has helped them survive rapid urbanization in many areas.
Range and Migration
Violet-green Swallows are native to the Nearctic and Neotropical regions in the northwestern American continent and Mexico. One subspecies breeds in Alaska, western Canada, and the western continental United States. These birds migrate south along the pacific coast to arrive in Mexico.
The eastern breeding range limit is the Rocky Mountains in eastern Idaho and Utah. In Canada, the species can be spotted in provinces like British Columbia, Yukon, and other northwest territories.
Two other subspecies breed and winter in Mexico, they usually do not migrate. Even though information on migratory patterns is sparsely available, scatted evidence suggests, northern subspecies move towards the water when migrating. Spring migration begins in April, and fall migration begins anywhere between August and October.
Violet-green Swallow Lifecycle
Violet-green Swallow clutch sizes range from 4 to 6 eggs per brood, with 1 to 2 brood per season. The incubation period is 14 to 15 days, while the nesting period is 23 to 24 days. The eggs appear pure white and have no distinctive markings. Both sexes spend time incubating their eggs.
Juveniles leave the nest 22 to 24 days after they hatch. Parents will actively feed and care for their hatchings. On average, wild Violet-green Swallows will live for 6.8 years. However, the species raised in captivity have an average lifespan of 7.4 years. The oldest Violet-green Swallow on record was 9 years old.
Nesting
Nest building occurs only after pair bonds have formed. After pairing, both the male and female work together to construct the nest. They both search for twigs, grass stems, and feathers to build their cup-shaped nest in a cavity.
Various cavities are considered for the nest site. These cavity sites include hollowed-out tree barks, hollow parts between rocks and cliffs, or nesting cardboard boxes on buildings or backyards.
It is crucial to know that if a pair cannot locate a suitable cavity, they may become aggressive and seek to usurp a nest site. The nest construction process can take anywhere between 3 to 20 days. The nest size is deeply dependent on the cavity, but generally, it measures about three inches across and 0.75 inches deep. The nests are not reused, but nesting sites may be reused.
Anatomy of a Violet-Green Swallow
Violet-green Swallows are small sleek birds with long pointed wings and slightly forked tails. The wingtips extend well beyond their short tails.
Violet-green Swallows have 9 functional primaries, 9 secondaries (including three tertials), and 12 rectrices. Slight geographic variation in appearance is observed.
Violet-green Swallows have small black bills. Juveniles have cream-colored gapes while adults have light yellow gapes. These Swallows have dark sepia irises. The feet are either light purplish, sepia, or black.
Final Thoughts
These captivating medium-sized birds have captured our attention for many years. The magnificent little birds are a delightful sight to behold when the sun beautifully illuminates their metallic green and purple coat.
Violet-green Swallows are peaceful birds that coexist in flocks that often contain more than 100 birds! Even though that can become aggressive and territorial during the breeding season, confrontations in the colony are rare. Males are often receptive to the needs of the female and will assist her in child-rearing activities. Furthermore, they often help other birds rear their young by taking care of foreign hatchlings and guarding the nest against predators.
It is the species domesticity and unique ability to adapt to various nesting sites, such as remote cliffs and artificial boxes near human habitation, that may have protected this species from harmful human activities.
Given their cordial manner and genius adaptability instincts, it is no surprise that the Violet-green Swallow population has continued to thrive for many years.
Ornithology
Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes
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Bird Watching Binoculars for Identifying Violet-green Swallows
The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Violet-green Swallows are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.
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Violet-green Swallow Stickers
Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Violet-green Swallow. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.
Bird Feeders For Violet-green Swallows
There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.
Bird Houses For Violet-green Swallows
There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.
