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Species
Apodidae
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Until 1943 it was not known where chimney swifts (Chaetura pelagica) over-wintered. The destination was discovered when an explorer in Peru noticed an Indian tribe wearing necklaces made of the bird’s leg bands.
- The Robie Tufts Nature Centre, 2003. Accessed September 30, 2003 at http://www.town.wolfville.ns.ca/visitors/sites/robietufts/robietufts.html.
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Swifts are terrestrial species that require foraging habitat with high numbers of aerial insects. They are found in virtually any temperate or tropical area where prey can be found. Swift habitat includes desert oasis, Mediterranean scrub, steppe, farm or grassland, urban areas, forest and canyons. They can be found from sea level to 4000 m. Because water is an integral aspect of the breeding biology of many species, swifts are usually found near water.
The roosting and breeding site requirements of swifts (traditionally caves or hollow trees, more recently including man-made structures) sometimes necessitate travel of varying distances between roosting and feeding sites.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: desert or dune ; savanna or grassland ; forest ; rainforest ; mountains
Other Habitat Features: urban ; suburban ; agricultural ; riparian
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The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds. The treeswifts are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae.
Resemblances between swifts and swallows are due to convergent evolution, reflecting similar life styles based on catching insects in flight.
The family name, Apodidae, is derived from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet", a reference to the small, weak legs of these most aerial of birds.[1][2] The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic martlet.
Some species of swifts are among the fastest animals on the planet, with some of the fastest measured flight speeds of any bird.
Contents
Taxonomy[edit]
Taxonomists have long classified swifts and treeswifts as relatives of the hummingbirds, a judgement corroborated by the discovery of the Jungornithidae (apparently swift-like hummingbird-relatives) and of primitive hummingbirds such as Eurotrochilus. Traditional taxonomies place the hummingbird family (Trochilidae) in the same order as the swifts and treeswifts (and no other birds); the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy treated this group as a superorder in which the swift order was called Trochiliformes.
The taxonomy of the swifts is in general complicated, with genus and species boundaries widely disputed, especially amongst the swiftlets. Analysis of behavior and vocalizations is complicated by common parallel evolution, while analyses of different morphological traits and of various DNA sequences have yielded equivocal and partly contradictory results.[3]
The Apodiformes diversified during the Eocene, at the end of which the extant families were present; fossil genera are known from all over temperate Europe, between today's Denmark and France, such as the primitive swift-like Scaniacypselus[4] (Early - Middle Eocene) and the more modern Procypseloides (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene). A prehistoric genus sometimes assigned to the swifts, Primapus (Early Eocene of England), might also be a more distant ancestor.
Species[edit]
There are around 100 species of swifts, normally grouped into two subfamilies and four tribes.[5]
Cypseloidinae
-
- Tribe Cypseloidini
Apodinae
-
- Tribe Collocaliini
- Tribe Chaeturini - needletails
- Tribe Apodini - typical swifts
Description[edit]
Swifts are the most aerial of birds. Larger species are amongst the fastest fliers in the animal kingdom, with the white-throated needletail having been reported flying at up to 169 km/h (105 mph).[6] Even the common swift can cruise at a maximum speed of 31 metres per second (112 km/h, 70 mph). In a single year the common swift can cover at least 200,000 km.[7]
Compared with typical birds, swiftlet wings have proportionately large wingtip bones. By changing the angle between the wingtip bones and the forelimb bones, they are able to alter the shape and area of their wings, maximizing their efficiency and maneuverability at various speeds.[8] Like their relatives the hummingbirds, and unlike other birds, they are able to rotate their wings from the base, a trait that allows the wing to remain rigid and fully extended deriving power on both upstroke and downstroke.[9] The downstrokes produces both lift and thrust, while the upstrokes produces a negative thrust (drag) that is 60% of the thrust generated during the downstrokes, but simultaneously it contributes with a lift that is also 60% of what is produced during the downstroke. This flight arrangement could also have benefits for the bird's control and maneuverability in the air.[10]
The swiftlets or cave swiftlets have developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost.[11] One species, Aerodramus papuensis, has recently been found to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost too.
Distribution and habitat[edit]
Swifts occur on all the continents, though not in the far north or large deserts, and on many oceanic islands.[12] The swifts of temperate regions are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics. Some species can survive short periods of cold weather by entering torpor, a state similar to hibernation.[11]
Many have a characteristic shape, with a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The flight of some species is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows. Swifts range in size from the pygmy swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes), which weighs 5.4 g and measures 9 cm (3.7 inches) long, to the purple needletail (Hirundapus celebensis), which weighs 184 g (6.5 oz) and measures 25 cm (10 inches) long.[11]
Behaviour[edit]
Breeding[edit]
The nest of many species is glued to a vertical surface with saliva, and the genus Aerodramus use only that substance, which is the basis for bird's nest soup. The eggs hatch after 19 to 23 days, and the young leave the nest after a further six to eight weeks. Both parents assist in raising the young.[11]
Swifts as a family have smaller egg clutches and much longer and more variable incubation and fledging times than passerines with similarly sized eggs, resembling tubenoses in these developmental factors. Young birds reach a maximum weight heavier than their parents; they can cope with not being fed for long periods of time, and delay their feather growth when undernourished. Swifts and seabirds have generally secure nest sites, but their food sources are unreliable, whereas passerines are vulnerable in the nest but food is usually plentiful.[13][14]
Feeding[edit]
All swifts eat insects, ranging from aerial spiders, dragonflies, flies, ants, to aphids, wasps and bees. Some species, like the chimney swift, hunt with other bird species as well.
Status[edit]
No swift species has become extinct since 1600,[15] but BirdLife International assesses the Guam swiftlet as Endangered and lists the Atiu, dark-rumped, Schouteden's, Seychelles and Tahiti swiftlets as Vulnerable; twelve other species are Near Threatened or lack sufficient data for classification.[16]
Relations with humans[edit]
The hardened saliva nests of the edible-nest swiftlet and the black-nest swiftlet have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup,[17] Over-harvesting of this expensive delicacy has led to a decline in the numbers of these swiftlets,[18][19] especially as the nests are also thought to have health benefits and aphrodisiac properties. Most nests are built during the breeding season by the male swiftlet over a period of 35 days. They take the shape of a shallow cup stuck to the cave wall. The nests are composed of interwoven strands of salivary cement and contain high levels of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium.[19]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Jobling (2010) pp. 50–51.
- ^ Kaufman (2001) p. 329.
- ^ Thomassen, Henri A.; Tex, Robert-Jan; de Bakker, Merijn A.G.; Povel, G. David E. (2005). "Phylogenetic relationships amongst swifts and swiftlets: A multi locus approach". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37 (1): 264–277. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.010.
- ^ Mayr, Gerald (2003). "A new Eocene swift-like bird with a peculiar feathering". Ibis 145: 382–391. doi:10.1046/j.1474-919x.2003.00168.x.
- ^ Chantler & Driessens (2000) pp. 19–20
- ^ Bourton, Jody (2 March 2010). "Supercharged swifts fly fastest". BBC News.
- ^ Piper, Ross (2007), Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals, Greenwood Press.
- ^ On Swift Wings | Natural History Magazine
- ^ Birds of Venezuela - Steven L. Hilty
- ^ Vortex wake and flight kinematics of a swift in cruising flight in a wind tunnel
- ^ a b c d Collins, Charles T. (1991). Forshaw, Joseph, ed. Encyclopaedia of Animals: Birds. London: Merehurst Press. pp. 134–136. ISBN 1-85391-186-0.
- ^ Martins, Thais; Mead, Christopher J. (2003). "Swifts". In Perrins, Christopher. The Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Firefly Books. pp. 346–350. ISBN 1-55297-777-3.
- ^ Lack, David; Lack, Elizabeth (1951). "The breeding biology of the Swift Apus apus". Ibis 93 (4): 501–546. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1951.tb05457.x.
- ^ Boersma, P Dee (1982). "Why some birds take so long to hatch". The American Naturalist 120 (6): 733–750. doi:10.1086/284027. JSTOR 2461170.
- ^ Hoyo, Josep del; Elliott, Andrew; Sargatal, Jordi; Christie, David A (eds.). "Apodidae". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 10 September 2013. (subscription required).
- ^ "Apodidae". Species. BirdLife International. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
- ^ Hobbs, Joseph J (2004). "Problems in the harvest of edible birds’ nests in Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysian Borneo". Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 2209–2226. doi:10.1023/b:bioc.0000047905.79709.7f.
- ^ Gausset, Quentin (2004). "Chronicle of a Foreseeable Tragedy: Birds' Nests Management in the Niah Caves (Sarawak)". Human Ecology 32: 487–506. doi:10.1023/b:huec.0000043517.23277.54.
- ^ a b Marcone, Massimo F (2005). "Characterization of the edible bird's nest the Caviar of the East". Food Research International 38: 1125–1134. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2005.02.008.
Bibliography[edit]
- Chantler, Phillip; Driessens, Gerard (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. London: Pica Press. ISBN 1-873403-83-6.
- Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- Kaufman, Kenn (2001). Lives of North American Birds. Oxford: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-15988-6.
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Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Swift&oldid=649515858 |
Swifts are insectivores, they catch their prey while in-flight (hawking) or they glean insects from foliage. Swifts drink by flying near the surface of water with an open mouth. They are often crepuscular (feed at dawn or dusk) and roost during the hottest parts of the day, however, there are some nocturnal and diurnal species.
Swifts will often take advantage of swarming insects such as mayflies (Ephemeroptera). They frequently feed on Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants), Diptera (true flies), Hemiptera (true bugs) and Coleoptera (beetles). More than 500 prey species have been recorded in Europe alone.
It is possible to find mixed-species flocks (including swallows (Hirundinidae)) feeding together. Niche-separation is facilitated by differences in gape size that correspond with species size and limits the size of prey that can be taken. Elevation can also separate feeding habitats of different species with larger species usually feeding at higher elevations than smaller species.
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Apodidae/ |
This is a list of swifts by tribe and genus as published by the International Ornithological Committee (IOC).[1][2]
Tribe Cypseloidini
- Genus Cypseloides
-
- Spot-fronted swift (Cypseloides cherriei)
- White-chinned swift (Cypseloides cryptus)
- Sooty swift (Cypseloides fumigatus)
- White-chested swift (Cypseloides lemosi)
- Rothschild's swift (Cypseloides rothschildi)
- Great dusky swift (Cypseloides senex)
- White-fronted swift (Cypseloides storeri)
- Chestnut-collared swift (Cypseloides rutilus)
- American black swift (Cypseloides niger)
- Genus Streptoprocne
-
- Biscutate swift (Streptoprocne biscutata)
- Tepui swift (Streptoprocne phelpsi)
- White-naped swift (Streptoprocne semicollaris)
- White-collared swift (Streptoprocne zonaris)
- Chestnut-collared swift (Streptoprocne rutila)
Tribe Collocaliini - swiftlets
- Genus Collocalia
-
- Glossy swiftlet, Collocalia esculenta
- Cave swiftlet, Collocalia linchi
- Pygmy swiftlet, Collocalia troglodytes
- Bornean swiftlet, Collocalia dodgei
- Genus Aerodramus sometimes included in Collocalia
-
- Seychelles swiftlet, Aerodramus elaphrus
- Mascarene swiftlet, Aerodramus francicus
- Indian swiftlet, Aerodramus unicolor
- Philippine swiftlet, Aerodramus mearnsi
- Halmahera swiftlet, Aerodramus infuscatus
- Sulawesi swiftlet, Aerodramus sororum
- Seram swiftlet, Aerodramus ceramensis
- Mountain swiftlet, Aerodramus hirundinaceus
- White-rumped swiftlet, Aerodramus spodiopygius
- Australian swiftlet, Aerodramus terraereginae
- Himalayan swiftlet, Aerodramus brevirostris
- Indochinese swiftlet, Aerodramus rogersi (sometimes included in A. brevirostris)
- Volcano swiftlet, Aerodramus vulcanorum (sometimes included in A. brevirostris)
- Whitehead's swiftlet, Aerodramus whiteheadi
- Bare-legged swiftlet, Aerodramus nuditarsus
- Mayr's swiftlet, Aerodramus orientalis
- Palawan swiftlet, Aerodramus palawanensis
- Mossy-nest swiftlet, Aerodramus salangana (sometimes included in A. vanikorensis)
- Uniform swiftlet, Aerodramus vanikorensis
- Palau swiftlet, Aerodramus pelewensis
- Mariana swiftlet, Aerodramus bartschi
- Island swiftlet, Aerodramus inquietus
- Atiu swiftlet, Aerodramus sawtelli
- Tahiti swiftlet, Aerodramus leucophaeus
- Marquesan swiftlet, Aerodramus ocistus
- Black-nest swiftlet, Aerodramus maximus
- Edible-nest swiftlet, Aerodramus fuciphagus
- Germain's swiftlet, Aerodramus germani
- Three-toed swiftlet, Aerodramus papuensis)
- Genus Hydrochous
-
- Giant swiftlet, Hydrochous gigas
- Genus Schoutedenapus - African swiftlets
-
- Scarce swift, Schoutedenapus myoptilus
- Schouteden's swift Schoutedenapus schoutedeni
Tribe Chaeturini - needletails
- Genus Mearnsia
-
- Philippine spine-tailed swift (Mearnsia picina)
- Papuan spine-tailed swift (Mearnsia novaeguineae)
- Genus Zoonavena
-
- Madagascar spinetail (Zoonavena grandidieri)
- São Tomé spinetail (Zoonavena thomensis)
- White-rumped spinetail (Zoonavena sylvatica)
- Genus Telacanthura
-
- Black spinetail (Telacanthura melanopygia)
- Mottled spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri)
- Genus Rhaphidura
-
- Silver-rumped spinetail (Rhaphidura leucopygialis)
- Sabine's spinetail (Rhaphidura sabini)
- Genus Neafrapus
-
- Böhm's spinetail (Neafrapus boehmi)
- Cassin's spinetail (Neafrapus cassini)
- Genus Hirundapus
-
- White-throated needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus)
- Purple needletail (Hirundapus celebensis)
- Silver-backed needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis)
- Brown-backed needletail (Hirundapus giganteus)
- Genus Chaetura
-
- Band-rumped swift, Chaetura spinicauda
- Lesser Antillean swift, Chaetura martinica
- Gray-rumped swift, Chaetura cinereiventris
- Pale-rumped swift, Chaetura egregia
- Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica
- Vaux's swift, Chaetura vauxi
- Chapman's swift, Chaetura chapmani
- Short-tailed swift, Chaetura brachyura
- Ashy-tailed swift, Chaetura andrei
- Sick's swift, Chaetura meridionalis
- Amazonian swift, Chaetura viridipennis
- Costa Rican swift, Chaetura fumosa
Tribe Apodini - typical swifts
- Genus Aeronautes
-
- White-throated swift, Aeronautes saxatalis
- White-tipped swift, Aeronautes montivagus
- Andean swift, Aeronautes andecolus
- Genus Tachornis
-
- Pygmy palm swift, Tachornis furcata
- Neotropical palm swift, Tachornis squamata
- Antillean palm swift, Tachornis phoenicobia
- Genus Panyptila
-
- Great swallow-tailed swift, Panyptila sanctihieronymi
- Lesser swallow-tailed swift, Panyptila cayennensis
- Genus Cypsiurus
-
- Asian palm swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis
- African palm swift, Cypsiurus parvus
- Genus Tachymarptis
-
- Alpine swift, Tachymarptis melba
- Mottled swift, Tachymarptis aequatorialis
- Genus Apus
-
- Cape Verde swift, Apus alexandri
- Common swift, Apus apus
- Plain swift, Apus unicolor
- Nyanza swift, Apus niansae
- Pallid swift, Apus pallidus
- African black swift, Apus barbatus
- Forbes-Watson's swift, Apus berliozi
- Bradfield's swift, Apus bradfieldi
- Malagasy black swift, Apus balstoni
- Pacific swift, Apus pacificus
- Salim Ali's swift, Apus salimalii
- Blyth's swift, Apus leuconyx
- Cook's swift, Apus cooki
- Dark-rumped swift, Apus acuticauda
- Little swift, Apus affinis
- House swift, Apus nipalensis
- Horus swift, Apus horus
- White-rumped swift, Apus caffer
- Bates's swift Apus batesi
- Fernando Po swift Apus sladeniae
References[edit]
- ^ "Swifts, hummingbirds & allies". World bird list version 3.3. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 29 October. Check date values in:
|accessdate=
(help) - ^ Chantler, Phillip; Driessens, Gerard (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. London: Pica Press. pp. 19–20. ISBN 1-873403-83-6.
Swifts are hosts to many species of parasite, found on individual birds and in nests. In Africa, parasites include: hippoboscid flies (Gataerina, Pseudolynchia and Ornithomya), feather lice (Dennyus and Eureum) and ticks (Lelaptidae, Proctophyllodiae, Analgesidae and Eustathiidae). Some parasites may have co-evolved with specific species of swifts and are endemic to them.
As insectivores, swifts also affect insect populations throughout their range.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Apodidae/ |
Several raptors (Falconiformes) are frequent predators of swifts; known species include: peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus), Eurasian hobbies (Falco subbuteo), sooty falcon (Falco conoclor) and bat hawks (Macheiramphus alcinus). Some known nest predators include crabs (Decapoda), snakes (Serpentes), red-winged starlings (Onychognathus mario), spotted eagle owls (Bubo africanus), fiscal shrikes (Lanius collaris) and crows (Corvis spp.). There is also a species of cave cricket (Rhapidophora oophaga) in Borneo that feeds on both the young and eggs of swiftlets.
Swifts will often mob aerial predators such as raptors if they approach a flock. Because swifts are vulnerable to predators when not in flight, they choose very specific nest sites that are inaccessible to most terrestrial predators (such as behind waterfalls or inside caves and crevices).
Known Predators:
- raptors (Falconiformes)
- peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)
- Eurasian hobbies (Falco subbuteo)
- sooty falcons (Falco conoclor)
- bat hawks (Macheiramphus alcinus)
- crabs (Decapoda)
- snakes (Serpentes)
- red-winged starlings (Onychognathus mario)
- spotted eagle owls (Bubo africanus)
- fiscal shrikes (Lanius collaris)
- crows (Corvus)
- cave crickets (Rhapidophora oophaga)
- Cink, C. 1990. Snake predation on chimney swift nestlings. Journal of Field Ornithology, 61(3): 288-289.
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Apodidae/ |
Apodidae (swift) is prey of:
Lynx rufus
Canis latrans
Based on studies in:
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
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Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Apodidae (swift) preys on:
cactus weevils
Moneilema
Apidae
Lepidoptera
Papilionoidea
Diptera
Based on studies in:
USA: Arizona, Sonora Desert (Desert or dune)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- P. G. Howes, The Giant Cactus Forest and Its World: A Brief Biology of the Giant Cactus Forest of Our American Southwest (Duell, Sloan, and Pearce, New York; Little, Brown, Boston; 1954), from pp. 222-239, from p. 227.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Swifts communicate acoustically and visually. They are highly vocal; males and females have different calls consisting of chips and rattling or buzzy screams. Males perform aerial displays to attract mates and deter intruders. Sometimes males’ wings will produce sound during aerial displays that is caused by vibrating feathers.
Some swiftlets (Collocaliini) use echolocation calls. The calls are not used in capturing prey, but allow them to find their way in dark roosting sites.
Communication Channels: visual ; acoustic
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; echolocation ; chemical
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Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Apodidae/ |