Order
Passeriformes
Family
Hirundinidae
Genus
Tachycineta
 
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Version 1.0

This is a historic version of this account.  Current version

SPECIES

White-winged Swallow Tachycineta albiventer

Carolyn W. Sedgwick
Version: 1.0 — Published April 15, 2010

Appearance

Distinguishing Characteristics

A medium-sized swallow with white underparts and iridescent bluish green upperparts, the White-winged Swallow also has a white rump and a diagnostic white wing patch. The most frequent vocalization is a repeated, rising, buzzy "zreeed."

Similar Species

Several species of Tachycineta swallows, including the White-winged Swallow, are blue above with a white rump and white underparts.  Two of these species, the Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta albilinea) and the Tumbes Swallow (Tachycineta stolzmanni), have geographic distributions that do not overlap with that of the White-winged. Sympatry, at least seasonally, is possible between the White-winged Swallow and two other species, the Chilean (Tachycineta meyeni) and White-rumped (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) swallows. The White-winged Swallow easily can be distinguished from all other similar species by the extensive area of white on the uppersurface of the inner portion of the wing.

Detailed Description

The following description is based on that in Turner and Rose (1989):

Adult


A medium-sized swallow, the White-winged Swallow is most easily identified by the white wing patch found on the inner flight feathers and greater wing coverts. Males and females are similar, although females have less white in the wing patch. This patch can be seen be seen both in flight and at rest. The outer flight feathers are more black, although in some lighting, blue and green can be detected. The glossy bluish green forehead, back, mantle, and scapulars often appears more blue during the breeding season. The head frequently looks more blue than the mantle. The lores are black, and the ear coverts a bluish black.

The underside of adult birds is mostly white, as are the rump and uppertail coverts. In worn out plumage, the white can be less conspicuous. Flanks appear more gray. There is only a shallow fork in the mostly black tail.

Immature

Young birds are not as vibrant in color and have less white in the wings. From above, immature birds are mostly gray-brown except for the white rump. The underside is white but the breast is duskier than in the adult.

Molts

No information.

Bare Parts

Bill and legs are both black.

Measurements

Total Length

13.5-14 cm (5.25-5.5")

Wing length

100-108 cm (mean 104 cm, Turner and Rose 1989).

Tarsus length

10.4-12.3 mm (mean 11.3 mm, Turner and Rose 1989)

Tail length

42-51 mm (mean 46.4 mm, Turner and Rose 1989)

Depth of tail fork

6-10 mm (mean 8.0 mm, Turner and Rose 1989).

Bill length

10.2-13.2 mm (mean 11.8 mm, Turner and Rose 1989)

Mass:

Little data, mostly from small samples from widely scattered localities:

1 male, 17 g (Trinidad; Junge and Mees 1958)

1 male, 17 g (Suriname; Haverschmidt 1948)

1 male 20 g, 1 female 21 g (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; Belton 1985).

males 14-16 g (sample size?) and females 14-17 g (sample size?) in Suriname (Haverschmidt 1968).

Recommended Citation

Sedgwick, C. W. (2010). White-winged Swallow (Tachycineta albiventer), version 1.0. In Neotropical Birds Online (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/nb.whwswa1.01