Tree Swallow: The Blue-White Flash

Start with the blue-white split. Adult Tree Swallows carry blue-green upperparts and clean white underparts, with blackish flight feathers, a tiny flat bill, broad pointed wings, and a short square or slightly notched tail. 1

A Tree Swallow measures 4.7-5.9 inches (12-15 cm) long and spans 11.8-13.8 inches (30-35 cm). Look over ponds, meadows, and open fields for direct low flight as the bird catches aerial insects. Tree Swallows also use tree cavities and nest boxes. 1

When the sound arrives first, listen for cheerful, liquid twitters. The spelling "tsee-tsee-tsee-tsee" is a hearing cue for the repeated syllables, rather than a transcript of one fixed performance. The card's teal-and-rust sound shape is qualitative, so it helps you remember the thin, lightly rising and falling character without presenting a measured recording trace. Cornell Lab and Audubon describe the species' song and calls across liquid twitters, chirps, buzzes, trills, and whistles. 23

For the fast comparison, Bank Swallow brings a brown back and sharp dark breast band; Barn Swallow brings a warm throat, peachy underside, and deeply forked tail. In the West, Violet-green Swallow shows a white face and a white rump that wraps farther around the sides. Tree Swallow keeps the darker face and smaller white rump crescent. 4