Unlike Tree Swallows, however, the white on the face of the Violet-green Swallow extends above the eyes. Also, the Violet-green has two white patches on its rump. Compared to the males, female Violet-green Swallows are dull in color. They are bronze green to bronze purple on the upperparts, and grayish on the forehead, the sides of the head, and the upper breast. The rump and tail feathers are a dull green.
Juveniles are grayish-brown with a faint bronze sheen on the back.
The belly is white, but the breast and sides are brown and sometimes mottled. Their range spans from central Alaska and central Canada south to the Mexico's highlands. In the northern part of its range, this species breeds at lower elevations on the coast and in wooded canyons. They forage off the surface of ponds and occasionally on the ground. Unlike most other swallows, Violet-green Swallows often forage above the tree canopy.