Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Sleek blue-green and white swallow with forked tail. Aerial insectivore that skims low over gardens and water. Nest boxes attract breeding birds that consume hundreds of mosquitoes and gnats daily.
Plants that support Tree Swallow
38 plants
California Dichondra
Dichondra donelliana
perennial herb
Foliage gleaning for insects during breeding season
California Fescue
Festuca californica
grass
Nesting season cover and perching substrate, Apr-Jun
California Grape
Vitis californica
vine
Consumes grapes during fall migration and pre-migration staging August-October
California bottlebrush grass
Elymus californicus
grass
early spring diet component Mar-Apr during post-migration recovery
California oatgrass
Danthonia californica
grass
grazes on insects associated with grass tussocks during breeding season
Cliff Sword Fern
Polystichum imbricans subsp. imbricans
fern
utilizes dense frond structure for roosting during spring migration arrival
Climbing Bedstraw
Galium porrigens var. porrigens
perennial herb
Foraging for insects associated with herb foliage during breeding season
Coastal Lipfern*
Myriopteris intertexta
fern
Breeding season shelter and foraging habitat for aerial insects
Common Viburnum
Viburnum ellipticum
shrub
berries consumed during pre-migration fattening period
Creeping Wildrye
Elymus triticoides
grass
Dense grass cover used for nesting sites and fledgling staging Apr-Aug
Five-finger Fern
Adiantum aleuticum
fern
nesting season foraging in dense fern cover near streams April-July
Foothill Sedge
Carex tumulicola
grass
dense sedge clumps used for nesting habitat and insect foraging Apr-Jun
Giant Chain Fern
Woodwardia fimbriata
fern
Frond structure used for nest placement April-July
Groundcover Rose*
Rosa spithamea
shrub
Forages for insects among dwarf rose shrubs during breeding season
Lace Lipfern
Myriopteris gracillima
perennial herb
Forages for small arthropods associated with fern foliage during breeding season
Lady Fern
Athyrium filix-femina var. cyclosorum
fern
Nests in nearby cavities; forages over moist woodland edges during breeding season
Licorice Fern
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
perennial herb
nesting in riparian areas where licorice fern provides understory cover near water Apr-Jun
Maidenhair Fern
Adiantum jordanii
fern
Uses dense fern cover for roosting during breeding season (April-August)
Mexican Elder
Sambucus mexicana
shrub
Critical fall fruit resource during southward migration Aug-Sep
Nested Polypody
Polypodium calirhiza
fern
insects flushed from fronds during breeding season April-August
Oregon ash
Fraxinus latifolia
tree
Uses cavities in dead ash snags for nest sites April-July; cavity-dependent breeder
Pacific Reed Grass
Calamagrostis nutkaensis
grass
Nests in coastal reed beds and marshes; April-July breeding season
Red Willow
Salix laevigata
shrub
Spring-summer nesting in riparian willow stands
Rincon Manzanita
Arctostaphylos stanfordiana ssp. decumbens
perennial herb
Spring migration staging; early season nectar for breeding season energy
Roundfruit Sedge
Carex globosa
grass
nests in nearby cavities, uses Carex marshes for foraging Apr-Aug
Serpentine Reed Grass
Calamagrostis ophitidis
perennial herb
nesting season Apr-Jun; forages for insects in grass stands
Slender Club-rush
Isolepis cernua
grass
Forages for insects associated with Isolepis stands during breeding season
Slough sedge
Carex obnupta
perennial herb
Forages for insects above sedge beds during breeding season migration through California
Small Flowered Melica
Melica imperfecta
grass
insects associated with grass foliage during nesting season
Smooth scouring-rush
Equisetum laevigatum
perennial herb
foraging habitat adjacent to nesting areas in riparian corridors
Swamp Carex
Carex senta
grass
uses sedge tussocks for nesting material collection March-May
Thingrass
Agrostis pallens
grass
Spring nesting habitat in coastal grasslands; nesting material
Valley Oak
Quercus lobata
tree
Secondary cavity nester using woodpecker holes Apr-Jul
Western Sword Fern
Polystichum munitum
fern
Uses fern fronds for nest lining material during spring nesting
Western Virgin's Bower
Clematis ligusticifolia
vine
Seed consumption during fall staging
Western Waterleaf
Hydrophyllum occidentale
perennial herb
gleans insects from foliage during spring foraging
Yellow-eyed-grass
Sisyrinchium californicum
perennial herb
Spring arrival; insects gleaned from flowering vegetation during migration and breeding