Fun Bahama Swallow Facts For Kids

The Bahama swallow bird is a threatened species threatened by logging and planned development. It is a medium-sized swallow with green and white upperparts, blue wings, and tail. Females are duller with white underparts that are less pure than the male. Adults can be differentiated from tree swallows and other similar species because of the deeply forked tail. Around seven native types of swallows are found in North America, as they are prevalent throughout the region. The Barn swallow, Bank swallow, Cliff swallow, and Tree swallow are discovered from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast and from northern Canada to Alaska.

These birds are most active in cloudy weather and the evenings, perching during the hottest parts of the day. They are also seen flying high up, often gliding and feeding low over the ground, and flying quickly after insects.

If you like reading this then also learn about other animals like Pitta bird or White-rumped sandpiper swallow.

What type of animal is a Bahama swallow?

The species of Bahama swallow comes from aves family.

What class of animal does a Bahama swallow belong to?

The Bahama swallow, Tachycineta cyaneoviridis, belongs to the family of birds.

How many Bahama swallows are there in the world?

Population estimates of swallows bird vary. One estimation places the population of swallows at 4,800 birds, and another estimate using a different method placing the population at 20,000 birds. Also, since there are endangered species, their evaluation is uncertain.

Where does a Bahama swallow live?

The swallow's species in winters are seen throughout the eastern Bahamas and the Turks and Cairo islands. It is a rare vagrant found elsewhere during migration, including south Florida, Abaco, and the Florida Keys. It is also an occasional vagrant to South America. It is a bird of the Caribbean pine forests. They are somewhat capable of adapting to urban settings. Although, they are not seen breeding in marshland and fields, they need such a habitat to forage as they feed on flying insects.

What is a Bahama swallow's habitat?

The natural breeding habitat of the Bahama swallow bird species is pine forests in the northern Bahamas. These islands, collectively known as the pine islands, are Grand Bahama, Andros, New Providence, Florida, and Abaco. But it is also seen in towns and near other human dwellings. Bahama swallows feed in open and partly in open areas, such as woodland clearings, marshes, open farms, cliffs, and along the coast. They can also be observed on other islands during winter migration.

Who do Bahama swallows live with?

The swallow birds don't usually flock together. In rare cases, they are in groups or else they fly solo.

How long does a Bahama swallow live?

Since swallows species depend entirely on flying insects, they don't need to fatten up. But can snap up their food along the way. Nonetheless, many die of starvation and their numbers are decreasing due to loss of habitat. Hence, their lifespan is unknown.

How do they reproduce?

The Bahama swallows, Tachycineta cyaneoviridis breeds, particularly in the northern Bahamas. The mating season is from mid-March through June. They have usually seen building nests in cavities of live Caribbean pine trees - usually sites abandoned by woodpeckers. Swallow birds also easily nest in artificial pits such as nest boxes, electrical conduit boxes, pipes, and rooftop ventilation systems. The female lays about three white eggs, and incubation lasts from 15-17 days. Both parents feed the young birds. The chicks leave the nest after 22-25 days.

What is their conservation status?

The Bahama swallow bird species are currently listed as Near Threatened as the population is receding gradually. It is an endemic bird which means that it is only found in the Bahamas and nowhere else in the world. Its survival is entirely in the hands of the Bahamian people.

What do Bahama swallows look like?

Bahama swallows, like other members of Tachycineta bird species, are bicolored, with green and blue upperparts and white underparts. The unique feature of this species is the long, deeply angled tail.

Adults are medium-sized swallows with long, strongly regulated tails. Crown, neck back, and shoulders dull metallic green, the upper tail is bluish-green. Ears, cheeks, underwing, and entire underparts are pure white. Females are similar to the male but more faded in color; ears mottled with grayish-brown, and tail shorter, with a slightly duller fork. The juvenile swallow upper parts are brown above with a green sheen, which is most pronounced on the wing coverts and mantle; head and upper tail are more dark brown. Ears and entire underparts are white, except for a patch of sooty brown on the sides of the upper chest.

How cute are they?

The swallow birds species are very cute and attractive. Their Song is also a beautiful liquid jumble of rich notes.

How do they communicate?

The call of the bird has been described as chep or chi-chep. The song is quiet, metallic, and twittering.

How big is a Bahama swallow?

Bahama swallow, Tachycineta cyaneoviridis, can reach up to 5.5-6 in (14-15 cm) in length.

How fast can a Bahama swallow fly?

They indulge in swift, graceful flight, alternating rapid wing beats with long glides.

How much does a Bahama swallow weigh?

Bahama swallow, Tachycineta cyaneoviridis, weigh around 0.037 lb (17 g).

What are their male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name of the male and female species.

What would you call a baby Bahama swallow?

The baby Bahama swallow is known as chicks or hatchlings.

What do they eat?

Swallow flocks perch in long rows on branches and wires. Known to be an insectivore or insect eater, they are seen speeding through the air to catch small flying insects.

Are they dangerous?

It is unknown whether they are dangerous, but other swallow species droppings and nests carry dangerous diseases like histoplasmosis, encephalitis, salmonella, meningitis, and more.

Would they make a good pet?

No, they do not make good pets. These swallow birds are wild animals, and they need plenty of space to fly and hunt for food as they maneuver through the air. In most places, it is illegal to own them as a pet. Also, since their numbers are decreasing, no one is permitted to keep one at home.

Did you know...

They are the most limited geographically and possibly have the shortest population size of any Tachycineta species. A group of swallows has many collective nouns, including a herd, gulp, kettle, and sord.

Why is the Bahama swallow endangered? 

The grave threat to Bahama swallows species is habitat loss. Since the habitat is destroyed, food sources are damaged as well. Loss of habitat can be caused due to a number of factors. The crucial case of major habitat loss in the Bahamas is logging, especially since much secondary forest is now growing mature after the last spate of harvesting. Another one incurred is as a result of housing development. In addition to that, natural disasters such as hurricanes pose a threat to Bahama swallow since they can devastate large portions of the forest on individual islands, and the bird's habitat there could be effectively sabotaged.

What is the largest swallow? 

Purple martins of North America are the largest swallow bird with a length of 7-8 in (17.78-20.32 cm) and a wingspan of up to 15 in (38 cm). They are neat species with their bright purple coloring.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Superb Lyrebird facts and parakeet facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Bahama swallow coloring pages.

Please note that this is an image of a tree swallow, a species belonging to the swallow family. If you have an image of a Bahama swallow, please let us know at [email protected]