Violet-green Swallow in May
Where violet-green swallows are in May, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
May in the Violet-green Swallow's year
May is the peak of the birding year. Migration floods the North, dawn chorus is at its loudest, and nesting is underway across most of the continent. By month's end the first broods of the year are hatching in mid-latitudes.
For the Violet-green Swallow specifically, May is a spring month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 16 states and provinces where violet-green swallows occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where violet-green swallows are in May
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- summer breeder
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In May, violet-green swallows are absent in the South, summer breeder across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in May
May is inside the Violet-green Swallow nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: cavity or nest box. Clutch 4–6 eggs, incubation 13–18 days, 1 per season.
In the South the season is already underway, while northern birds are still settling territories — a pair in Florida or Texas may be on eggs weeks before a pair in Minnesota or Ontario has even chosen a nest site. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in May
- Flies and midges
Uses nest boxes in western towns and forests.
Adults feeding nestlings need easy calories. Some species that ignored feeders all winter now visit regularly, and you may see fledglings brought to feeders by their parents.
Watching violet-green swallows this month
In May, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
If you have a Violet-green Swallow box up, watch from a distance for comings and goings — steady traffic means an active nest — the box guide below has the exact hole size and mounting height this species needs.
Violet-green Swallow month by month
Violet-green Swallow by state
Frequently asked
Where are violet-green swallows in May?
In May, violet-green swallows are absent in the South, summer breeder across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do violet-green swallows nest in May?
Yes — May falls inside the Violet-green Swallow nesting season at mid-latitudes.
What do violet-green swallows eat in May?
Flies and midges.
Sources
- Violet-green Swallow — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Violet-green Swallow life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Violet-green Swallow — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- NestWatch nest box plans and species requirements — Cornell Lab
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.