FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Dwelling in the depth of wild coniferous and deciduous forests of Northern America, the violet green swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) is a one-of-a-kind organism. Aways from the loud, polluted areas of the city reside these beautiful, small songbirds. 'Che-che-che', if you hear this, then you are in the right place to look for them. Violet green swallows are absolutely gorgeous and colorful birds attracting a lot of bird sighters. The distinctive body shape of violet green swallows differentiates them from other birds of the same species. These birds of North America have long pointed wings and streamlined body has evolved to prey on insects while flying. An adult violet green swallow closely resembles the North American tree swallows in terms of appearance.
Here are some of the most important facts about violet green swallows for your perusal. Afterward, do check our other articles on the cliff swallow and lilac-breasted roller as well.
The Green Violet Swallow is a small, cute little bird with small wings and a small beak that belongs to the swallow family of birds. This one-of-a-kind creature dwells in the wild and attracts a lot of bird sighters. If you visit a forest of Northern America and use a range map and bird guide, then you may spot violet green swallows hiding in the tree.
The violet green swallow is a bird and it belongs to class Aves of kingdom Animalia. It is a member of the family named Hirunidae, which is a family of passerine birds.
For now, there are about 19 known species of a violet green swallow bird belonging to the genus Tachycineta. It is estimated and calculated that there are about 7 million breeding violet green swallow birds present globally at the moment.
This insectivore is native to North America. Their population is distributed widely in various regions such as West Coast Alaska, Mexico, East Montana, Washington, and Texas. In these regions, violet green swallows are spotted in a variety of forests such as deciduous and coniferous forests and just not that, they are also found nesting in cliff areas. Seven members of the swallow family breed in Washington.
A violet green swallow is called a secondary cavity nester. This means that they do not create their own nesting site. Rather, violet green swallows nest in the already present cavities in the wild. This species builds its nests in the tree holes, nest boxes, or cracks in the large cliffs. At the bottom of these cavities, both males and females create cup-like nests with the aid of grass, stem, and twigs. The construction of the nests takes up to 20 days maximum at the nest site.
One may find these birds nesting in solidarity. But as per the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, it is more common to spot these passerine birds nesting in colonies, where about 25 pairs of these birds dwell together.
A violet green swallow lives for a decent number of years. Their average life span is about six years and eight months. The longest living violet green swallow was a male bird that lived for nine years in total.
Birds, in general, are oviparous in nature and lay eggs in their nests where their young ones are nurtured with care. This bird migrates to its nests for copulation and breeding. The female violet green swallow lays eggs in the month of June, with a clutch size of five eggs on average. Interestingly, the female does not lay all eggs at once but lays one egg per day.
These birds fall in the category of Least Concern species in terms of conservation status. From 1966-2015, a decline of 28% in their population has been reported by the North American Survey of Breeding Birds. This unfortunate decline in their number is due to a variety of reasons, use of insecticide, pollution, and rapidly changing climate are to name some.
A violet green swallow is a small songbird found residing in open woodland near water bodies. It has long, slim wings for faster flight and a tail that is forked. Adult male birds have a presence of white coloration under the beak and the head is a color of shiny green. The body is colored in violet green with a white rump and there is a hint of violet on the back of its body and a forked tail
These are very cute birds because of their violet green color, white rump, and forked tail. Especially because of their size and unique violet green and white coloration of their body, this tree swallow species attracts a lot of bird sighters during its flight as well as during the migration.
These songbirds have a unique call. These social birds use 'chee-chee' sounds while interacting with other birds of their species. These interactions include fighting for nests with other swallow birds, a young one calling an adult wanting to be fed, and while moving around in flocks. This bird species also has a distinct twitter call which this species uses for courtship display and escorting female birds for breeding activities.
It is a small bird with an average body length of 5.2-5.5 in (13.2-13.9 cm) and a wingspan of up to 10.6 in (26.9 cm). This bird is three times smaller than urban crows. Their small body length enables them to have good flying abilities.
A violet green swallow is a really fast bird. The swallow can fly at an average speed of 40 mph (64.3 kph). Since these birds of British Columbia dwell in the wild and are at risk of being easy prey, they fly faster and at a decent height.
A violet green swallow may weigh around 0.45-0.49 oz (0.011-0.012 kg) on average. These birds of British Columbia are lightweight birds because their bodies do not store a lot of fat. Their lightweight helps them fly higher and better.
The males and females of this species of British Columbia are known as male and female violet green swallows respectively. Males have white cheek patches whereas the females and babies have dusky-colored cheek patches.
A baby violet green swallow is called a fledgling. A fledgling stays in the nest after hatching with the mother swallow after birth for a few days. After they acquire feathers for a flight, the young birds leave the nests with their parents for foraging activities near their habitat.
Violet green swallows are insectivores that feed on a variety of flying insects. These birds get their name because they catch and eat flying insects during their flight. They feed on a wide variety of flying insects as well as ground insects such as ants, beetles, and arthropods like spiders.
Behaviorally a violet green swallow is not dangerous. It may attack a fellow swallow during mating and courtship activities, but otherwise, they are not a threat to humans. But studies show that their droppings and nests are home to a variety of bacterial and fungal species as well as some deadly parasites. These are capable of causing deadly diseases in humans such as meningitis, toxoplasmosis, and encephalitis to name some.
These do not make good pets as they like to feed on flying insects. They fly in open areas in the wild and reside in pairs. They may also carry disease-causing parasites that can be lethal to humans.
Interestingly, these nesting birds show phenomena named interspecific cooperation. This means that they form cooperative relationships with other birds. For example, these birds with a white rump form interspecific cooperation with the bluebird in which they occupy the nests of the bluebirds and raise their fledglings in it. This species of western North America feeds their young chicks as well as the bluebirds’ fledglings in return for safety provided by the bluebirds' nests.
Violet green swallows build their nests in naturally occurring cavities on the trees. This bird of western North America uses grasses, stems, and other natural debris to build their nests which are in the shape of a cup situated in the bottom of the cavity. Apart from nests box and tree holes they also make their nests in the cracks of the cliffs where they can easily feed on flying insects.
These birds have a variety of colors on their body. The upper part is of shiny glossy blue and green, the beak is black, and the underside of their body is white and the wings are a color of black. These birds are colorful and can also be territorially aggressive.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our marabou stork facts and Eurasian collared dove fun facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our swallow birds coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
Kidadl is independent and to make our service free to you the reader we are supported by advertising.
We hope you love our recommendations for products and services! What we suggest is selected independently by the Kidadl team. If you purchase using the buy now button we may earn a small commission. This does not influence our choices. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published.
Kidadl has a number of affiliate partners that we work with including Amazon. Please note that Kidadl is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.
We also link to other websites, but are not responsible for their content.
Was this article helpful?
We’ll send you tons of inspiration to help you find a hidden gem in your local area or plan a big day out.
Check your inbox for your latest news from us. You have subscribed to:
Remember that you can always manage your preferences or unsubscribe through the link at the foot of each newsletter.