Day 144: Tree Swallow

Tree Swallows are migratory birds that breed in North America and winter farther south. They have pretty iridescent blue-green upperparts and white bellies.

Despite its name, the Tree Swallow can be found in fields, meadows, and marshes. They rely on woodpeckers and similar species for tree cavities to raise their babies, but those cavities are often in short supply. Luckily, Tree Swallows happily accept artificial nest boxes, and this time a year we see the boxes in our neighborhood parks full of swallow families. From my experience, it seems like Tree Swallows are pretty protective of their nests. Last time I was out for a walk and got close to a Tree Swallow nesting in a box, it tried to dive bomb me!