General Description: Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) are birds of the open sky that feed on the wing and don't often perch where you can get a good look at them. In flight, Tree Swallows are dark black above and bright white below. The top of the head and upper face is black, and the lower face and throat are white, and the line between the black and white is distinct.

Taxonomy: Passeriformes, Hirundinidae, Hirundininae.

Favored Habitat: Tree Swallows are birds of the open sky that feed on the wing. They can be found in most habitats as they pass through the Las Vegas area during migration.

Where to Find: Tree Swallows can be found anywhere, but look for them in open marshy areas and over water. Look for them at the Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve, the meadow at Calico Basin, and the pasture at Corn Creek.

Comments: Swifts and swallows can sometimes be hard to tell apart in flight. The key is the way they fly. Swallows flap their wings like normal birds -- both wings go up and down at the same time. Swifts do this too, but they flap so quickly that the wings appear to move in opposite directions with one wing going up while the other goes down -- their flight appears to be more of a swimming motion.