Swallowtail Dragons are graceful and quick flyers, much like their namesake bird. They are capable of precise aerial acrobatics, and can reach very high altitudes. Because of this, humans observing these dragons are often astonished at how large they are when confronted up close. A Swallowtail’s diet consists of insects and small mammals plentiful in temperate forests. These dragons are also made remarkable by their paper-thin wing membranes, which allow light to pass through, creating an astonishing effect on starry nights.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

On warm, lazy summer evenings, when clouds of tiny insects float like smoke through the heavy air, the sharp calls of swallows and the gentle bell-like call of Willow Swallowtail rent the air.

She is referred to as the 'Guardian of the Swifts' in both her home-weyr and the immediate human settlements for a founded reason. Traveling to and from the southern continents with scores of the small birds twice a year, Willow devotes her time to caring for the delicate creatures while they are wearied from flying. Much of her diet consists of falcons which attempt to prey on the birds, and admittedly while they aren't entirely nourishing, the uncountable masses of insects that arrive with the onset of summer entirely make up for this.

She seems receptive to the idea of a mate, though only one that is willing to travel with her, or wait in patience during her six-month absence.