The mangrove swallow (Tachycineta albilinea) is a passerine bird in the swallow

family that breeds in coastal regions from Mexico through Central America to Pan
ama. It has blue-green upperparts, blackish flight feathers, a white rump, a bla
ck tail and white underparts. It can be identified by the supraloral white strea
k, the white line near its eye, which only occurs in two other species of Tachyc
ineta: the violet-green swallow and the white-rumped swallow. The sexes, althoug
h similar in plumage, differ slightly in size. The juveniles have grey-brown upp
erparts and white-washed underparts. This swallow's song is generally described
as a soft trilling, with a rolled jeerrt call, and a sharp alarm note.
The mangrove swallow is very territorial when breeding, much like the related tr
ee swallow. Its nest is normally built in a hole or crevice near water and less
than 2 metres (7 ft) above the ground. This species usually feeds alone when bre
eding, but will feed in groups when not. It normally forages closer to the nest
when hunting for its chicks, but will go much further when foraging for itself.
In between foraging attempts, it is frequently seen perching near water. It is a
n aerial insectivore and eats unusually large prey for its size.
With an estimated population of at least 500,000 individuals, the mangrove swall
ow is classified as a species of least concern by the International Union for Co
nservation of Nature (IUCN). Its numbers are decreasing, although not fast enoug
h for it to be classified as vulnerable. Little is known about the predation of
this species, although it is a host of Sternostoma hirundinis, a type of nasal m
ite. It has also been known to lose nests both to termites and black flies.
The mangrove swallow was formally described in 1863 as Petrochelidon albilinea b
y American amateur ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence.[2] Its current genus,
Tachycineta was originally described in 1850 by the German ornithologist Jean Ca
banis.[3] The genus name Tachycineta is from Ancient Greek takhukinetos, "moving
quickly", and the specific albilinea is from Latin albus, "white", and linea, "
line".[4]
The Tachycineta species are members of the swallow family of birds, and are plac
ed in the Hirundininae subfamily, which comprises all swallows and martins excep
t the very distinctive river martins. DNA sequence studies suggest that there ar
e three major groupings within the Hirundininae, broadly correlating with the ty
pe of nest built.[5] These groups are the "core martins", including burrowing sp
ecies like the sand martin, the "nest-adopters", which are birds that utilise na
tural cavities, and the "mud nest builders" such as the Delichon house martins.
The Tachycineta species belong to the "nest-adopter" group.[6]
All nine Tachycineta species have glossy blue or green backs and white underpart
s, but the five species with white rumps, the mangrove swallow, Tumbes swallow,
white-winged swallow, white-rumped swallow, and Chilean swallow are particularly
closely related, the first three and the last two forming two superspecies. The
Tumbes swallow of coastal Peru was formerly considered to be a subspecies of th
e mangrove swallow, but its calls, behaviour, and cytochrome b data indicate tha
t it should be considered as a separate species.[7] It is also differentiated fr
om the mangrove swallow by its lack of a supraloral white line and by its slight
difference in size.[8]