Swift

Swifts

Chimney Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Apodiformes
Family:Apodidae
Genera
Many: see text
 See also:
 Hummingbirds (Trochilidae)
 Tree swifts (Hemiprocnidae)

Table of contents
1 Swifts
2 Taxonomy
3 Species list: Family Apodidae
4 Reference
5 External link

Swifts

The swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the Common Swift, even sleep and mate on the wing.

One group, the Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets have even developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost.

They are superficially similar to swallows but are completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they formerly shared with the hummingbirds.

The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles based on catching insects in flight.

The family scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces.

Like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics.

Many swifts have a characteristic shape, with a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The flight is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows.

The nest 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.

Taxonomy

In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the old order Apodiformes is split. Swifts remain in that order, but hummingbirds are put into a new order, Trochiliformes.

The taxonomy of this group is in general complicated, with genus and species boundaries widely disputed, especially amongst the swiftlets.

The treeswifts are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family.

Species list: Family Apodidae

Tribe Cypseloidini

  • Chestnut-collared Swift, Cypseloides rutilus
  • Tepui Swift, Cypseloides phelpsi
  • Black Swift, Cypseloides niger
  • White-chested Swift, Cypseloides lemosi
  • Rothschild's Swift, Cypseloides rothschildi
  • Sooty Swift, Cypseloides fumigatus
  • Spot-fronted Swift, Cypseloides cherriei
  • White-chinned Swift, Cypseloides cryptus
  • White-fronted Swift, Cypseloides storeri
  • Great Dusky Swift, Cypseloides senex

  • White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris
  • Biscutate Swift, Streptoprocne biscutata
  • White-naped Swift, Streptoprocne semicollaris

Tribe Collocaliini - swiftlets

  • Waterfall Swift, Hydrochous gigas

  • Glossy Swiftlet, Collocalia esculenta
  • Cave Swiftlet, Collocalia linchi
  • Pygmy Swiftlet, Collocalia troglodytes

  • Seychelles Swiftlet, Aerodramus elaphrus
  • Mascarene Swiftlet, Aerodramus francicus
  • Indian Swiftlet, Aerodramus unicolor
  • Philippine Swiftlet, Aerodramus mearnsi
  • Moluccan Swiftlet, Aerodramus infuscatus
  • Mountain Swiftlet, Aerodramus hirundinaceus
  • White-rumped Swiftlet, Aerodramus spodiopygius
  • Australian Swiftlet, Aerodramus terraereginae
  • Himalayan Swiftlet, Aerodramus brevirostris
  • Indochinese Swiftlet, Aerodramus rogersi
  • Volcano Swiftlet, Aerodramus vulcanorum
  • Whitehead's Swiftlet, Aerodramus whiteheadi
  • Bare-legged Swiftlet, Aerodramus nuditarsus
  • Mayr's Swiftlet, Aerodramus orientalis
  • Palawan Swiftlet, Aerodramus palawanensis
  • Mossy-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus salangana
  • Uniform Swiftlet, Aerodramus vanikorensis
  • Palau Swiftlet, Aerodramus pelewensis
  • Guam Swiftlet, Aerodramus bartschi
  • Caroline Islands Swiftlet, Aerodramus inquietus
  • Atiu Swiftlet, Aerodramus sawtelli
  • Polynesian Swiftlet, Aerodramus leucophaeus
  • Marquesan Swiftlet, Aerodramus ocistus
  • Black-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus maximus
  • Edible-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus fuciphagus
  • German's Swiftlet, Aerodramus germani
  • Papuan Swiftlet, Aerodramus papuensis

  • Scarce Swift, Schoutedenapus myoptilus
  • Schouteden's Swift, Schoutedenapus schoutedeni

Tribe Chaeturini - needletails

Tribe Apodini - typical swifts

Reference

  • Swifts by Chantler and Driessens, ISBN 1-873403-83-6

External link


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