The swift bird is perhaps known to everyone. It can be seen both in the city and beyond. And this is not surprising, because swifts are one of the most common representatives of birds on the planet. They live on all continents, with the exception of Antarctica and several islands.
In summer, these birds fly through the air with loud, screech-like cries. People have become accustomed to them and no longer pay attention to them, but they do not know that they are seeing truly unusual birds.
Swift bird: description
Here are the main characteristics of the appearance. The body of swifts reaches 10-24 centimeters in length, weight ranges from 50 to 140 grams. The head is large, the eyes are dark, the beak is short and sharp. The wings are curved and long, the tail is forked or straight. Legs are small and weak. Fingers point forward, claws are sharp.
The birds are mostly dark in color, with black and gray colors predominating, but white-banded swifts are also found. White color is present, as a rule, on the undertail, throat, belly and forehead. Females and males do not differ in appearance.
In the summer, everywhere, even in big cities, you can see flocks of dark birds flying in the sky, screeching. These are flying black swifts, which are most common in cities. At the same time, in the eastern regions of our country and in some other states, the bulk of the “urban” ones are white-banded swifts. In general, white and black birds are similar both in appearance and behavior.
Lifestyle
The swift bird belongs to the order Swift-shaped. In general, in nature there are about eighty species of representatives of this order. There are both migratory species and sedentary individuals. Swifts, as a rule, live in flocks and prefer to nest in colonies, which in some cases reach several thousand pairs. These birds are active from early morning until evening.
What do swifts eat?
The birds in question are very temperature dependent environment and weather conditions, which is their main distinguishing characteristic. If a swift bird is starving, its body temperature can drop to twenty degrees. This is why these birds have the ability to fall into a kind of torpor.
Swifts eat insects, which they catch in the air with their beaks, like a net. If food cannot be obtained, the birds plunge into a kind of hibernation and can spend several days in this state until weather conditions improve. Not only adults, but also chicks of this species have this ability. They can stay in hibernation for about nine days, while their parents fly several kilometers away in search of food.
Long-distance flights to obtain food are called weather migration. The swift bird usually flies away to spend the winter in August. However, again, in this case everything depends on the weather.
Reproduction
These birds nest in trees, hollows, rock crevices, burrows and caves. It all depends on the habitat. Birds live in forests, cities, mountains and deserts. Pairs are created for life.
The swift's nest is built from plant fibers, twigs and feathers, which the birds pick up on the fly. Every year the birds return to their former nests. Construction of the home lasts about a week.
The eggs are incubated by females for 16-22 days, during which time the male flies off in search of food. The clutch usually contains white eggs, there may be four or only one.
The chicks do not leave the swift's nest for 33-39 days, depending on weather conditions. Their parents feed them several times a day with compressed lumps of saliva and insects. Then the chicks fly away, because they are completely ready to live an independent life.
- Swifts cannot swim or walk, but can only sit on tree branches and fly. Therefore, birds drink, eat and even swim on the fly.
- When bad weather conditions occur and swifts realize that they cannot feed the chicks, they throw the eggs out of the nest.
- These are the fastest birds, whose flight speed can reach 170 kilometers per hour.
- Some species are able to sleep on the fly, and the time of such rest can reach several hours.
- IN wildlife these birds live ten to twenty years.
Difference from swallows
Swifts and swallows are very similar in color and size, so they are often confused. However, upon closer examination it becomes clear that this is completely different birds. They even belong to different groups.
In size, swifts and swallows are quite comparable: the same wingspan, the same body length, but the weight of a young swift is twice that of a swallow. They also differ in color. Despite the fact that the plumage of both is dark, the swifts have a greenish tint and have a small white spot on the chin and throat. A distinctive feature of the swift is also its sharp beak, with which it seems to cut the sky (hence the name).
Swallows have ordinary bird feet with three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing back. Thanks to this structure of the paws, the birds can easily stay on the perch and move along the ground.
Swifts have unique feet. All four fingers point forward, making it very difficult for birds to maintain balance. This feature determines the way swifts sleep: they hang upside down on a branch, since they cannot stand. In addition, forward-pointing fingers make it difficult to take off from a support, but once the birds take to the sky, they forget how stupid they look on the ground. In flight, swifts reach speeds of up to 170 km/h, while swallows only reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.
Another difference is that after wintering, swifts are the last to arrive, while swallows are the harbingers of spring.
Not only on earth, in water, but also in the expanses of heaven there are great amount Living creatures. Every day millions soar in the heavenly heights in various parts of the earth. With the help of their wings, they sometimes manage to cover considerable distances.
Their navigation skills are still not entirely clear to humans. Among the birds there are large predators, there are harbingers of spring, and also those that are not afraid of the cold frosts of the Arctic, there are incredibly beautiful birds, which are often compared to fairy-tale creatures. Who from this list is the fastest flyer? This place is occupied without any doubt swift birds.
Features and habitat
Swifts are classified as swift-like. In appearance they are very similar to a swallow, but this is only external signs. In all other respects they are completely different. The size of swifts is much larger and they practically do not land on the ground.
This bird needs sky, air, and free space. You can meet them literally in any corner of the planet. They are only absent in Antarctica and places close to it due to the too cold climate.
There are many species in the swift family that share one common feature - the ability to fly quickly. In fact, swift birds are champions in flight speed. Sometimes it reaches up to 170 km/h.
High flight speed is a vital necessity for these aircraft. This is the only way they can survive. Swifts descend to the ground in extremely rare cases because it is there that they are in great danger from many predators.
Swifts absolutely cannot walk and swim, like many of their other feathered counterparts. To do this, swifts have too short legs with sharp claws. In flight, one might say, their whole life passes.
They drink, eat, search for building materials for their homes, and mate in flight. It cannot be said that swifts have perfect maneuverability, but the fact that they are the fastest is a fact.
Nature endowed swifts with pointed wings that resemble a sickle in flight. The feathered tail, which is not too large, bifurcates at the end. The black beak of the swift is inconspicuous and small in size. The bird's body length is about 18 cm, its weight is no more than 110 g. The span of its pointed wings reaches 40 cm.
Black swift
The color of the swift's feathers is black and brown, shimmering with green colors in the sunlight. In general, we can say that the inconspicuous plumage of the swift makes it less noticeable, which helps it in survival. The swift's chest is decorated with a light gray spot, which is only visible up close.
As for the distinctive features of females from males, they practically do not exist. They are completely different in color. This way you can only distinguish young chicks from more mature ones.
Juveniles are usually gray in color. The older the swift gets, the more richly colored its plumage becomes. Each feather of a young chick is framed by a light border, which makes the entire color significantly lighter. The swift has large eyes; they are an excellent and irreplaceable assistant in his search for provisions.
Bird black swift is one of the most famous species of swifts. They master the art of taking off from the ground on their own, which is a great achievement for swifts.
They do this by bouncing. Listen to the voice of the black swift pure pleasure. In females the tonality is usually high, but in males it is the opposite. In a pack this sounds unusual and original.
If you look closely photo, swift very much resembles a dove. Therefore they are often confused. Birds differ in that the pigeon descends to the ground and can walk freely along it.
The swift cannot be seen in the area of the first floors. Most often it is noticeable at the height of the last floors of a high-rise building. It is the swifts that often tell us with their voices about the arrival of spring.
Many people are concerned about the question - swift migrant or not? Yes, it is not difficult for these dashing raiders to cover long distances. They often change their location.
A large number of them can be found in Siberia, Finland, Spain, and Norway. There are many swifts in the warm regions of Turkey, Lebanon, Algeria, and Israel. They also nest in Europe and Asia. From colder regions they fly to winter in.
Character and lifestyle
These birds prefer to live in colonies. This way of life helps them keep everything under control, observe the changes around them and escape from possible danger in time.
Swifts are highly dependent on surrounding natural factors, climate and temperature regime. Favorite hobby Swifts, if they are not in flight, sit on steep rocks, to which they skillfully cling with sharp claws.
Good nutrition is important for swifts. If they have problems with food, which especially often happens during cold periods, the swifts seem to turn on a reduced consumption of their “battery”. In other words, they become less active, as if they are in a mysterious daze. This helps the bird expend much less energy than usual.
This state can last up to several days, until better weather conditions arrive and it becomes possible to get food for yourself. It is also typical for small chicks.
But for them the reason for it is something else. This way the kids can wait for their parents to return from the hunt. The waiting time can last about 9 days. In total, swifts are active from early morning until evening.
Swifts migrate to wintering in warmer climes starting in August. Although it is impossible to determine the exact time for this, it all depends on the weather. If, in general, the weather conditions of the swifts are completely satisfactory, migration may be completely postponed.
Therefore, about some swifts we can say that they are sedentary. Such sedentary swifts are especially abundant in large cities, where the air temperature is usually higher than in a forest or steppe, for example.
Swift chick
By description of the bird swift has a hot temper. They cannot be called cunning or cautious. These big bullies have been seen more than once as instigators of fights in their circle or with other birds.
Often such fights are quite serious. At such moments, swifts forget about any caution and completely indulge in “war.” In flight, swifts are practically not disturbed or threatened by anything. The only one that the swift should be wary of is the falcon.
Nutrition
The diet of swifts consists exclusively of insects. They catch them with their mouth, which resembles a net. The throat of a swift can accumulate a very large number of insects. Therefore, these birds are considered excellent helpers in the fight against harmful insects.
The change of residence of this bird may depend on the availability of food in the habitat. As soon as there are fewer insects due to weather conditions, the swifts change their place of residence.
Reproduction and lifespan
Puberty of these birds is observed after the first year of life. They become parents after 3 years of life. They actively reproduce for two years after this. The male looks for his female right in the air. Mating takes place there and only after this the birds begin nesting.
To do this, they choose places in the rocks and on the banks. City swifts are comfortable nesting under balconies or roofs. It costs these bullies nothing to drive smaller birds away from their nest.
An important condition When building nests, the height is important; they should be located at least 3 meters. After the nest is ready, females lay 2-3 eggs in it. Hatching them lasts 16-22 days. Cold conditions may increase timing.
The chicks appear one after another at intervals of a day. The firstborn is considered the hardiest. The rest do not always cope with weather conditions and die. Both parents feed the ever-hungry chicks. After 40 days of life, the chicks become independent. They live 20 years.
Swifts form a separate order of swiftiformes, which has about 80 species. The order also includes two families: the crested swifts, which are common in tropical Asia, and the swifts, which live everywhere except the polar regions.
8272
The swift is a small bird, predominantly gray in color with black and white splashes. Externally, the swift is a little similar to. The body length of the bird is from 10 to 12 cm, the weight of adults is about 140 g. The head is large, the beak is sharp and small, the tail is straight, the wings are curved, long, the legs are weak and short. Rainbow is black.
Relative to the body, the swift has very short legs, so if the bird is on the ground, then when it tries to take off, its long wings hit the surface of the ground and make it difficult to take off.
The plumage of males and females is the same, monochromatic, dark, occasionally with a metallic tint.
The flight of a swift is very different high speeds, some species are capable of reaching speeds of up to 120 km/h and above. Swifts also have an unstable body temperature, like most species of birds, so in the event of a sharp cold snap, swifts fall into torpor, a short hibernation.
What does it eat?
The basis of the swifts' diet is insects flying in the air. Therefore, both the diet and lifestyle of these birds are closely related to weather conditions. For example, when insects disappear due to the onset of cold weather, swifts change their place of residence - they go nomadic in search of food.
When swifts are hungry, their body temperature drops significantly, which ends in hibernation, or “trance sleep.” Thanks to this adaptive adaptation of the body, swifts are able to survive hunger from one to ten days. Using “trance sleep,” little chicks wait for their parents when they fly long distances in search of food.
Where does it live?
Swifts can be seen in almost every corner of the planet. The bird is not found only in very cold climatic zones. Swifts live both in forest areas and in open areas.
Mostly swifts like to live in big cities or on coastal cliffs, where it is convenient for birds to build nests. Swifts live in large flocks. Large colonies of these birds, consisting of several thousand pairs of swifts, can be seen in cities or in the mountains.
Among the numerous species of swifts, a distinction is made between sedentary and migratory populations. But in any case, the activity of these birds does not decrease from morning to evening.
Swifts spend almost all their time in flight; birds devote only a couple of night hours to sleep. Aircraft that of swifts is almost ideal, and allows them to travel hundreds of kilometers. It seems that swifts do not know fatigue.
Common types
The bird reaches 18 cm in length, the wingspan is about 40 cm, the wing length is about 17 cm, the tail is 8 cm long. The bird's physique resembles a swallow. The tail is forked. The plumage color is dark brown with a greenish metallic sheen. The chin and neck are decorated with a white round spot. The iris is dark brown, the beak is black, the legs are light brown. The plumage of males and females is the same. The chicks are lighter than the adults, and their feathers have off-white edges at the tips. In summer, the black swift fades noticeably, and in general its plumage becomes much lighter.
The horizontal flight speed of the black swift reaches 111 km/h.
The species' habitat includes central Europe, northern and central Asia. In Russia, the bird is distributed from the western borders to Transbaikalia. Lives mainly in cities.
The black swift's wintering grounds are located in Africa and southern India. On their way, the birds fly across the entire continent from north to south. This species also winters in southeast Asia, in Thailand.
The body shape is streamlined, oblong, the wings are long and pointed. The tail is forked. The bird's body length is from 20 to 23 cm, the wingspan is 51-58 cm, the weight of adults is from 76 to 125 g. Females are slightly smaller in size than males.
The neck and top of the belly are pure white, there is a dark stripe on the chest. The underparts and upperparts are beige or gray-brown. The beak is black, the iris is brown-black. The paws are beige, the tips of the toes are dark brown with black claws.
The species is distributed in North Africa, Madagascar, southern Europe, central Europe, Western Asia, central Asia, India and Sri Lanka.
The bird lives in eastern Asia. The species is migratory, migrating to south-east Asia and Australia for the winter. In addition to Asia, it was registered in the USA, New Zealand, and Europe (Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Great Britain). In body shape and plumage color it resembles a common swift, but differs from it in the white rump stripe. Females and males do not differ from each other; in young birds, the edges of feathers may be pale. The voice is screeching.
The bird's body length is 16-18 cm, weight ranges from 32 to 44 g. The tail is short and forked. The body is torpedo-shaped. The wings are long and sickle-shaped. The length of the wings is from 16.5 to 18 cm, the beak is small, about 0.5 cm long.
The pale swift is similar in appearance to the black swift. But his body is stockier, his plumage is generally lighter, and his belly is brownish. Against the background of the rest of the plumage, a white spot in the throat area stands out in contrast. The cry is piercing, high-pitched, and consists of a two-syllable “vri-e”.
The habitat of the species is North Africa, Southern Europe and the Middle East. It appears extremely rarely in Central Europe. The bird is migratory and migrates to tropical Africa for the winter.
Male and female: main differences
The swift is not characterized by sexual dimorphism. Only in certain species the male is larger in size than the female.
Reproduction
In spring, migratory swifts return to their former habitats. They have an excellent memory, and the birds are very attached to nesting sites. As soon as they return, the swifts immediately begin building their nests and laying eggs. A female swift usually has 2 eggs in one clutch. The black swift has 4 of them. The female does incubation for two to three weeks. During this period, the male provides food for both himself and his spouse. After the chicks are born, they remain under the care of their parents for about 40 days, after which they leave the nest forever. The average lifespan of swifts is from 10 to 20 years.
Voice
Swifts are quite loud and noisy birds. Their call sounds like a high-pitched squeal, which consists of chirping and squealing “strrriii” or “weeeeeeeeeee” sounds.
- Swifts are capable of reaching speeds of up to 170 km/h; they are real champions of high-speed flight among birds. For example, a swallow flies at a speed of 70 to 80 km/h. But at the same time, swifts can only fly. They cannot swim or walk because their legs are too small for this. When a swift finds itself on the ground, it is difficult for it to take off due to its large wingspan.
- To rise into the air, a swift needs a springboard or a hill. Therefore, swifts spend most of their lives in flight: looking for food, eating, drinking, obtaining building materials for the nest, and even mating. Moreover, these birds can even sleep in flight for several hours, occasionally flapping their wings.
- Some types of swifts build nests from saliva, which hardens in the air, they are called “swallow’s nests”, from which they cook the most delicious soup in the world that people eat.
Name options
- The male swift is called Swift;
- The female swift is called - Female Swift, Swift;
- The chick or baby swift is called Swift;
- Swift chicks or cubs are called Swifts.
Please rate
Order Swiftiformes includes 378 species. All these species are included in two suborders: swifts and hummingbirds. The order of swifts is formed by two families - swifts and crested swifts.
Swifts in flight can reach speeds of up to three hundred kilometers per hour. On the ground, they are more helpless; they can only cling to a vertical rock with their sharp claws or sit on a branch of a tree or bush. The head is flattened. The beak is short.
A significant part of the representatives of the swift family are modestly colored - gray and black tones predominate in the plumage. The distribution area of swifts is quite large and covers all continents, with the exception of Antarctica, and some species are characterized by the “habit” of being neighbors with humans.
Swifts make their nests in caves, rock crevices, and hollows. Sometimes you can see a swift's nest on particularly large tree leaves.
Appearance Swifts have some similarities in appearance to swallows. This is why these birds are sometimes confused. One of the distinctive features of swifts is that in flight they scream quite loudly, which cannot be said about swallows.
Individuals of the crested swift family have a characteristic crest on their heads (hence the name). In addition, they are characterized by the presence of a long forked tail. By the difference in color between a male and a female, one can judge the phenomenon of sexual dimorphism.
Tufted swifts make their nests in trees. In this regard, they are often called tree swifts. The crested swift family includes four species, which are combined into one genus.
Swifts are small birds. Relatively. Their body length reaches thirty-three centimeters, and their weight is one hundred and twenty grams.
Swifts are natural fliers. Swifts have long, strong wings. The wings are crescent-shaped. Thus, the wings of swifts are most well adapted for fast maneuverable flight. Wherein individual species These birds are capable of reaching speeds of up to three hundred kilometers per hour. While in flight, swifts are able to drink and feed, and some even sleep! But although swifts fly well, they are quite helpless on the earth's surface. This circumstance is largely due to the fact that swifts have weak and small legs. The eyes of many species of swifts are covered from the front and top sides with short, dense feathers. These peculiar “eyelashes” are designed to provide the swift with protection from collisions with insects when it flies at high speed.
Some types of swifts make truly amazing nests. It's about O tropical species these birds. For example, the Cayenne swift, which inhabits the territories of Central and South America. The nest of this bird resembles a vertical pipe. The length of this “structure” reaches sixty-five centimeters. The Cayenne swift uses its saliva to glue leaves and thin blades of grass together. The resulting structure (again with saliva) is attached either to rocky ledges or to thick tree branches. At the bottom of this pipe is the entrance to the nest. There is a small area inside that serves as a place for laying eggs. The latter in the Cayenne swift includes three eggs. No less interesting is the nest that the palm swift builds. This bird is common in South Asia and Africa. The nest of this swift is a flat pad consisting of feathers and down. The resulting structure is attached by a swift to the underside of the palm leaf. An interesting fact is that you have to glue not only the nest, but also the eggs to it. The newly born chicks hold on to a small shelter independently with the help of their claws.
Swallow's nest is a Chinese dish. And very famous. This is actually a specifically prepared nest. There is only one nuance - it does not belong to a swallow at all, but to a swift. The gray swiftlet, which lives in Polynesia and Southeast Asia (and these birds form large colonies), builds an edible house from saliva. The nest is attached to the wall of the cave.
The gray swiftlet is a cave dweller. Whole colonies of birds live in large dark caves, but the darkness does not at all prevent the swifts from moving confidently. The ability of the gray swiftlet to echolocation (like bats) is of great importance in this.
Swifts have few enemies. This is relatively true, and it applies to all species of these birds. The main enemy of swifts is the hobby. To the rest birds of prey It is very difficult to catch a swift, since it not only flies quickly, but also never lands on the earth's surface. During seasonal migrations, the safety of swifts may be threatened by other falcon species. Dormouses and some other climbing rodents sometimes pose a danger to chicks. This danger is more justified if swifts build their nest in tree hollows or birdhouses. Sometimes the enemy of the swift is also man. The situation is similar, for example, in the southern part of Europe. Here it is believed that the meat of young swifts has excellent taste. That is why residents often arrange nesting sites for swifts themselves. This is done in such a way as to have access to the nest from the inside. Walls and high towers serve as such nesting sites. Residents wait for the moment when the chicks are ready to fly out of the nest, and shortly before that they pull them out of there, after which they eat the meat of the chicks for food.
The black swift is a small bird belonging to the genus Swifts. The body length of this bird reaches eighteen centimeters, and the wingspan is forty centimeters. The length of the wing of the black swift (also known as the common swift) is on average eighteen centimeters, and the length of the tail is eight centimeters. In Russia, the black swift is very common. True, from a distance this bird can easily be confused with a swallow. The plumage color of the black swift is dark brown. The plumage is characterized by a metallic greenish tint. There is a white spot on the throat and chin of individuals. Black swifts have dark brown eyes and a black beak. The female and male black swift have completely identical plumage colors. There are slight differences only in chicks and adults - the chicks are somewhat lighter.
The black swift is a migratory bird. It nests in northern and Central Asia, as well as in central Europe. On the territory of Russia it can be found from the western borders of the country to Transbaikalia in the east. Settles in towns and cities. Sometimes it builds nests in tall forests. Black swifts use a variety of tall structures and structures for nesting. In parks and forests, respectively, tall trees are used. The nest itself is built in the cracks of stone buildings, under roofs, and eaves. Sometimes a black swift's nest can be found behind window frames. For wintering, the black swift goes either to South India or to Africa. Departure is in August.
The swift picks up building materials for the nest on the fly. Thus, for construction, the swift uses those light “handy” materials that are lifted into the air by the wind. These can be threads, lumps of plant fluff, hair, small leaves, straws, pieces of wool, etc. - the bird collects all this in a small flat pile. Next, the swifts glue the collected materials together using viscous saliva. The resulting nest has low sides, and the tray is completely invisible. The role of litter is played by feathers, which can be either single or present in more significant quantities. The diameter of the newly built black swift nest varies from eight to nine centimeters, and the height is only one centimeter. The diameter of the tray is on average five centimeters, and its depth is one centimeter. At the same time, older nests, which have been rebuilt by swifts more than once, are characterized by larger sizes. In this case, the diameter of the nest can be fifteen centimeters, the height - three centimeters. The diameter of the tray in the old nest already reaches eight, and the depth - two centimeters.
The number of eggs in a clutch of black swifts ranges from two to four. They are characterized by a monochromatic white color. The average egg size is 25 x 17 millimeters. Eggs are laid in the first half of June, while the black swift arrives at the nesting sites in mid-May. Helpless and naked, the chicks are born towards the end of June and spend approximately thirty-five days in the nest. The female and male feed their offspring with clumps of small insects. On each visit to the chicks, the parents bring several hundred of these lumps. During one day, common swifts deliver food to the chicks up to thirty times. The chicks leave the nest at five to eight weeks of age and immediately begin to fly. At first, the female and male continue to feed their offspring, doing this directly in flight. In the same way, parents stuff lumps of insects into the wide-open mouths of their chicks, only they do this while in flight. After some time (this happens in August), the young chicks become capable of feeding on their own.
The common swift spends a significant part of its time in the air. The black swift can fly for hours in search of food. At the same time, this bird fills its mouth to capacity with various insects. By the way, among the insects caught by the swift there are often many harmful ones, thus the swift brings great benefits. During the course of a day, each swift can fly a distance of four hundred fifty to nine hundred kilometers (and even more). With tremendous speed they cut through the air, after which they headlong (with 100% accuracy) fly into their nest. In principle, flying swifts are not difficult to distinguish from swallows. The slightly forked contour of the tail and the crescent shape of the wings, characteristic of swifts, will help in this matter. Swifts never land on bare ground or grass. Moreover, these birds rarely descend to the level of tree tops. If, for various reasons, the swift ends up on the earth's surface, then it becomes absolutely helpless. The swift cannot take off from the surface of the soil.
Rainy weather deprives swifts of food resources. This is due to the fact that in such weather insects disappear into the air. There is still a way out of such a difficult situation. As for the chicks, they fall into torpor. In this state they do not require nutrition. As for adult birds, they fly to places with more favorable weather fifty to seventy kilometers from their nests. Here they hunt until the end of bad weather.
The black swift is a record-breaking bird. These birds are assigned several specific records among all other birds. For example, a black swift can stay in the air for two to three years without any interruption. Moreover, during this time the birds may not eat anything, and, accordingly, not drink or mate. At the same time, black swifts can cover a distance of up to five hundred thousand kilometers without landing on the surface. In addition, representatives of black swifts have the highest horizontal flight speed. Thus, flying at a speed of one hundred and fifty kilometers per hour is not the limit for these birds.
The Mediterranean Sea basin is the center of the distribution range of the white-bellied swift. From this center, the distribution area of these swifts extends, on the one hand, to the Atlas and the mountainous countries of Asia Minor, and on the other hand, to the coast of Portugal, the Pyrenees and the Alps. To the east, white-bellied swifts have inhabited areas as far as the northern Himalayas. It is not uncommon for the white-bellied swift to establish nests quite far beyond the boundaries of this vast distribution area.
The white-bellied swift is an alpine swift. This is what this bird is called, and rightly so. However, the white-bellied swift is never found in the Central European Alps in such large numbers as, for example, in the south. IN to a greater extent these swifts inhabit the southern parts of the Alps. Although there are many known places on all the high mountains of Switzerland where the white-bellied swift builds nests. The Alpine swift prefers rocks directly adjacent to the sea. Sometimes this bird settles on high buildings. Moreover, having chosen a place in the latter, the swift, with well-known persistence, returns to it again and again.
The behavior of the white-bellied swift has both similar and different features from the behavior of the black swift. The habits and morals of the white-bellied swift are generally comparable to the habits and morals of the common swift. however, some aspects of the lifestyle still differ between these birds. Shortly after arriving at the old nesting site, the white-bellied swift begins to build new nests and repair old ones. These birds also collect material for the nest (straw, hay, leaves, etc.) while in flight. In addition, white-bellied swifts can collect grass and moss by clinging to rocks and walls. The white-bellied swift (as well as the common one) always has with him a tool for gluing individual fragments of the future nest together - these are the secretions of the salivary glands, which are a semi-liquid mass. The appearance of the nest resembles a shallow round cup. The width at the top ranges from ten to twelve centimeters, and the height varies from four to six centimeters. The average depth is three centimeters. The following can help you visually imagine the size of the nest: if you imagine that both the offspring and its parents are on the nest at the same time, then the nest ceases to be visible. Laying usually begins at the beginning of June. Often, laying begins even before the construction of the nest itself is completed. In this case, eggs are laid one at a time every two days until there are three or four of them. The eggs of the white-bellied swift are finely white in color. In part, they look like plaster (and not only in appearance, but also to the touch). An interesting fact is that the shape of the egg can be different - from elongated to very broadly oval. The length of the egg usually ranges from twenty-nine to thirty-three millimeters, and the width from nineteen to twenty-two millimeters. The white-bellied swift, like the common swift, hatches chicks only once a year.
The White-rumped Swift is a bird widely distributed in East Asia. The dimensions of the white-banded swift are similar to those of the black swift. however, the white-banded swift is very easy to recognize, first of all, by the white band in the area of the rump. In the south, its distribution range reaches the northern regions of the Mongolian People's Republic. In the east, the white-banded swift inhabits territories as far as Kamchatka and the Japanese Islands. The Himalayas also become a nesting site for this bird. The white-rumped swift nests either in those mountains where there are human settlements, or in a cultural landscape, and the nests themselves are placed in high buildings. building material The white-rumped swift uses straws, plant stems, etc. The clutch contains two or three eggs.
The White-rumped Swift is a migratory bird. For the winter, these swifts go to Australia, Indochina or the islands of Indonesia. By the way, it is in the wintering areas of the white-rumped swifts that molting occurs.
The palm swift gets its name from the place where it makes its nest. And the swift suits it (as the name implies) exclusively on palm leaves (most often these are the leaves of a coconut palm). And on the inner (that is, bottom) side. The palm swift is small in size. So, the length of his body barely reaches ten centimeters. The number of these birds is greatest in the tropical zone of the eastern hemisphere. These are South Asia and Africa. Palm swifts glue one or two eggs to the nest. From which a little later completely naked and helpless chicks hatch. They are firmly attached to the nest. At the same time, they face up and chest towards the sheets. The chicks remain in this position until they fully fledge (in principle, this process goes quite quickly). Due to the fact that man has significantly expanded the range of the coconut palm, he has also expanded the distribution range of the palm swift, making it practically his neighbor in many territories. For example, the palm swift can be found in Northern Thailand, but here coconut palms grow only as a cultural landscape. Moreover, the palm swift can nest on the roofs of those houses that are simply covered with coconut palm leaves.
The mustachioed swift is the largest representative of the swift family. The length of its body reaches thirty-three centimeters. This species is common in the Solomon Islands, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Moluccas, and in New Guinea the whiskered swift can live in the mountains at altitudes reaching 1200 meters above sea level. The head of the mustachioed swift is decorated with long mustaches (white) and a white eyebrow.
The needle-tailed swift is the largest representative of the swift family in Russia. The body length of the needle-tailed swift varies from nineteen to twenty-two centimeters, the wingspan is from forty-eight to fifty-five centimeters, and the weight ranges from one hundred to one hundred and seventy-five grams. The length of the wings of this swift reaches twenty-one centimeters, and its weight is one hundred and forty grams. The swift got its name due to the fact that its tail is cut straight and its tail tails have needle-like ends. The lower part of the body has a dark plumage color, and the upper part has a light brown color. Black wings are characterized by the presence of a metallic sheen. The needle-tailed swift is also distinguished by its white rump and white throat. The needle-tailed swift nests in forested mountainous areas. They make nests in tree hollows. The clutch contains from three to six eggs. Goes to Australia for the winter.
The needle-tailed swift is distinguished by its rapid flight. The person who observes it may be surprised by the hum, the source of which is the sound of the swift cutting the air. An amazing fact is that in certain areas these birds can accelerate up to three hundred kilometers per hour.
ἄπους "legless") - a genus of birds of the swift family.IN Russian Federation There are 4 species of this genus.
Kinds
- Apus acuticauda- brilliant swift
- Apus affinis- small swift
- Apus alexandri
- Apus apus- black, or tower, swift
- Apus barbatus- cape swift
- Apus batesi- Bates Swift
- Apus berliozi
- Apus bradfieldi
- Apus caffer- white-tailed swift
- Apus horus- Ethiopian swift
- Apus melba (Tachymarptis melba)- white-bellied swift
- Apus niansae- brown swift
- Apus nipalensis
- Apus pacificus- white-rumped swift
- Apus pallidus- pale swift
- Apus unicolor- one-color swift
In the genus Apus previously also included the scaly swift ( Apus aequatorialis), later allocated to the genus Tachymarptis, which sometimes includes the white-bellied swift.
Illustrations
Write a review about the article "Swifts (genus)"
Notes
Excerpt characterizing Swifts (genus)
Pierre returned, but not to the fire, to his comrades, but to the unharnessed cart, which had no one. He crossed his legs and lowered his head, sat down on the cold ground near the wheel of the cart and sat motionless for a long time, thinking. More than an hour passed. Nobody bothered Pierre. Suddenly he laughed his fat, good-natured laugh so loudly that people from different directions looked back in surprise at this strange, obviously lonely laugh.- Ha, ha, ha! – Pierre laughed. And he said out loud to himself: “The soldier didn’t let me in.” They caught me, they locked me up. They are holding me captive. Who me? Me! Me - my immortal soul! Ha, ha, ha!.. Ha, ha, ha!.. - he laughed with tears welling up in his eyes.
Some man got up and came over to see what this strange guy was laughing about. big man. Pierre stopped laughing, stood up, moved away from the curious man and looked around him.
Previously loudly noisy with the crackling of fires and the chatter of people, the huge, endless bivouac fell silent; the red lights of the fires went out and turned pale. A full moon stood high in the bright sky. Forests and fields, previously invisible outside the camp, now opened up in the distance. And even further away from these forests and fields one could see a bright, wavering, endless distance calling into itself. Pierre looked into the sky, into the depths of the receding, playing stars. “And all this is mine, and all this is in me, and all this is me! - thought Pierre. “And they caught all this and put it in a booth fenced off with boards!” He smiled and went to bed with his comrades.
In the first days of October, another envoy came to Kutuzov with a letter from Napoleon and a peace proposal, deceptively indicated from Moscow, while Napoleon was already not far ahead of Kutuzov, on the old Kaluga road. Kutuzov responded to this letter in the same way as to the first one sent with Lauriston: he said that there could be no talk of peace.
Soon after this, from the partisan detachment of Dorokhov, who went to the left of Tarutin, a report was received that troops had appeared in Fominskoye, that these troops consisted of the Broussier division and that this division, separated from other troops, could easily be exterminated. The soldiers and officers again demanded action. The staff generals, excited by the memory of the ease of victory at Tarutin, insisted to Kutuzov that Dorokhov’s proposal be implemented. Kutuzov did not consider any offensive necessary. What happened was the mean, what had to happen; A small detachment was sent to Fominskoye, which was supposed to attack Brusier.
By a strange coincidence, this appointment - the most difficult and most important, as it turned out later - was received by Dokhturov; that same modest, little Dokhturov, whom no one described to us as drawing up battle plans, flying in front of regiments, throwing crosses at batteries, etc., who was considered and called indecisive and uninsightful, but the same Dokhturov, whom during all Russian wars with the French, from Austerlitz until the thirteenth year, we find ourselves in charge wherever the situation is difficult. In Austerlitz, he remains the last at the Augest dam, gathering regiments, saving what he can, when everything is running and dying and not a single general is in the rearguard. He, sick with a fever, goes to Smolensk with twenty thousand to defend the city against the entire Napoleonic army. In Smolensk, as soon as he dozed off at the Molokhov Gate, in a paroxysm of fever, he was awakened by cannonade across Smolensk, and Smolensk held out all day. On Borodino Day, when Bagration was killed and the troops of our left flank were killed in a ratio of 9 to 1 and the entire force of the French artillery was sent there, no one else was sent, namely the indecisive and indiscernible Dokhturov, and Kutuzov hurries to correct his mistake when he sent there another. And small, quiet Dokhturov goes there, and Borodino is the best glory of the Russian army. And many heroes are described to us in poetry and prose, but almost not a word about Dokhturov.
Loading...