White-winged Swallow

White-winged Swallow

The White-winged Swallow, Tachycineta albiventer, is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America from Colombia, Venezuela and Trinidad south to northern Argentina. Being non-migratory, stray birds are not often encountered; one was seen on July 6, 1996, on the Tuira River downstream of Unión Chocó, Panama, and another one at Schoelcher, Martinique, on August 10, 1993.

The adult White-winged Swallow is 13.2 cm long and weighs 17 g. It has iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts and rump, and white edgings to the secondary flight feathers. The sexes are similar, but juvenile plumage is grey brown above apart from the white rump.

The call is a harsh chirrup.

White-winged Swallows are easily distinguished from the related Tree Swallow, which has occurred within its range, by the white in the wings; this is lacking in the otherwise quite similar Tree Swallows. White-winged swallows also have a heavier bill than North American species.

The White-winged Swallow is usually found near water, and feeds primarily on flying insects. It normally occurs in pairs or small flocks.

This swallow builds a cup nest lined with other birds' feathers and some seed down in a tree hole,between boulders or in man-made structures. The clutch is 3-6 white eggs. A nest in Cuyabeno Reserve (Ecuador) was found to contain recently-hatched young on August 30, 2003.