Tree Swallow

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Fairly common in southern Missouri. I saw one nesting in a Bluebird House at Caney Mountain Refuge last June 2007. The are not colonial nesters and prefer Bluebird Houses when they can find them. They are beautiful birds with shiny green backs. They are fascinated with feathers and can spend hours flying, dropping, and catching them before they reach the ground. They are summer residents of Southern Missouri.