tree swallow
Americannoun
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a bluish-green and white swallow, Iridoprocne bicolor, of North America, that nests in tree cavities.
Etymology
Origin of tree swallow
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A new study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry by Oxford University Press reports that many tree swallow populations across the United States are living in areas with high levels of exposure to “forever” chemicals.
From Science Daily • Oct. 8, 2025
The sparrow-hawk, the house sparrow, the tree swallow, the bluebird, most species of wrens, and several of the smaller species of owls nest either in natural cavities in trees or in deserted woodpeckers’ holes.
From The Woodpeckers by Eckstorm, Fannie Hardy
The tree swallow builds its nest, of grasses and feathers in the hollow of a tree.
From Endurance Test or, How Clear Grit Won the Day by Douglas, Alan
The white-bellied, or tree swallow, nests only in the North, and by far the greater number of cliff swallows nest in the North and West.
From Our Vanishing Wild Life Its Extermination and Preservation by Hornaday, William Temple
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.