White-winged Swallow
Encyclopedia
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 insect
s. 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.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in tropical South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
from Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
south to northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. Being non-migratory, stray birds are not often encountered; one was seen on July 6, 1996, on the Tuira River
Tuira River
The Tuira River is located in the Darién Province of eastern Panama. It flows into the Bay of San Miguel at the province capital of La Palma.It is the largest river in Panama, and one of its tributaries, the Chucunaque River, is the longeset river in Panama....
downstream of Unión Chocó
Unión Chocó
Unión Chocó is a town in the Panamanian indigenous territory of Emberá, Darién Province. It is located in and the capital of Cémaco District....
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and another one at Schoelcher, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, 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
Tree Swallow
The Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor, is a migratory passerine bird that breeds in North America and winters in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe....
, 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 insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s. 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
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
) was found to contain recently-hatched young on August 30, 2003.