Swallows & Swifts

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

A sleek swallow with iridescent blue-green upperparts and clean white underparts. It is one of the earliest swallows to arrive in spring and readily uses nest boxes.

Current regional viewing notes

Open areas near water around Hoonah; meadows, lakeshores, and fields with nest boxes or dead snags.

Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.

Habitat

Open fields, meadows, wetlands, and lakeshores near forests.

Diet

Flying insects caught on the wing; also berries during cold weather.

Natural history note

Tree Swallows are unique among swallows in their ability to eat and digest plant foods — they survive on bayberries and other fruits during cold snaps when insects are scarce.