The tree swallow was described as "Hirundo bicolor" by Louis Pierre Vieillot in his "Histoire naturelle des oiseaux de l'Amérique Septentrionale", published in 1807. It was then placed in its current genus "Tachycineta" when Jean Cabanis established it in 1850. In 1878, Elliott Coues suggested that the tree swallow, at the very least, be put in its own subgenus, "Iridoprocne", on the basis of its plumage, along with the white-winged swallow, Chilean swallow, white-rumped swallow, and mangrove swallow. By 1882, he had upgraded this to a full genus. Some authors continued to use this classification, with the addition of Tumbes swallow; however, genetic evidence supports the existence of a single genus, "Tachycineta". The tree swallow is also called the white-bellied swallow for its white underparts.