From Opus

Photo by Reini
Photographed: Cano Negro, Costa Rica.

Tachycineta albilinea

[edit] Identification

13 cm. The bill is small and black. Iridescent blue-green upperparts, white underparts and rump, black tail and flight feathers. Thin white stripe from bill to above eye. The female usually has duller colours than the male, and the juvenile is dull grey-brown above and grey-brown washed white below.

Its call is a rolled jeerrrt.

[edit] Distribution

Mexico through Central America to Panama. Accidental vagrant to Florida (1 recent record).

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic. Tumbes Swallow was considered a subspecies of Mangrove Swallow, but the closest relative of Mangrove Swallow is actually White-winged Swallow.

[edit] Habitat

Still open water.

[edit] Behaviour

It builds a bulky cup nest in cavities near water. 3-5 white eggs are laid and incubated for 17 days. The nestlings are fed by both parents for 23-27 days to fledging.

Diet includes insects, including large species such as dragonflies and bees.

[edit] References

1. Clements, James F. 2007. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to October 2007. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. ISBN 9780801445019
2. SACC baseline read September 2009

• List of references

[edit] External Links