Violet-green Swallow
Tachycineta thalassina
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyHirundinidae (Swallows and Martins)
- GenusTachycineta (Tachycineta Swallows)
- SpeciesTachycineta thalassina (Violet-green Swallow)
The violet-green swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) is a small North American passerine bird in the swallow family. These aerial insectivores are distributed along the west coast from Alaska to Mexico, extending as far east as Montana and Texas. With an appearance very similar to the tree swallow, these individuals can be identified by the white rump side-patches that appear to separate their green back and purple tail. Violet-green swallows are secondary cavity nesters, found in a number of habitats including deciduous and coniferous forest. In addition to nesting in tree holes within these habitats, they are also widely observed nesting in the cracks of large cliffs. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Katmai National Park
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Bank Swallow
Riparia riparia
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
Common Raven
Corvus corax
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Setophaga coronata
Wilson's Warbler
Cardellina pusilla
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia atricapilla
Orange-crowned Warbler
Leiothlypis celata
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Violet-green Swallow at Katmai National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there