''Tachycineta'' is a genus of birds in the swallow family Hirundinidae. There are nine described species all restricted to the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

. These are slender swallows with forked tails. Most species have a metallic green back, green or blue head, and metallic blue or unglossed brown wings. All have pure white underparts, and four species have a white rump. Most ''Tachycineta'' swallows are at least partially migratory, with only golden and mangrove swallow being essentially resident. All the species use natural or disused cavities for nest sites.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Tachycineta'' was introduced by the German ornithologists Jean Cabanisin 1850 with the

violet-green swallow The violet-green swallow (''Tachycineta thalassina'') is a small North American passerine bird in the Hirundinidae, swallow family. These aerial insectivores are distributed along the west coast from Alaska to Mexico, extending as far east as Mon ...

(''Tachycineta thalassina'') as the type species. The genus name is from Ancient Greek ''takhukinētos'' meaning "moving quickly". The genus contains nine species, divided into two sub-clades that are associated with geography: a North American/Caribbean clade and a South/Central American clade.

References

Hirundinidae {{Hirundinidae-stub