Swifts: Apodidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Conservation Status, Chimney Swift (chaetura Pelagica): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, SWIFTS AND PEOPLE
eat nests insects birds
Swifts are found throughout most of the world, on every continent except Antarctica.
Swifts' habitats vary from coniferous and deciduous forests to grasslands where there are few trees.
Swifts need to build nests in locations where it is easy for them to take flight. Swiftlets build nests in caves. Some birds make nests on cliffs, in chimneys or other tall structures.
Swifts are insectivores, animals that eat insects. Flying swifts catch and eat insects including flies, ants, beetles, and sometimes spiders. Adults eat one to three times an hour, and some birds eat ten thousand insects a day.
People harvest swiftlet nests for use in bird's nest soup. Bird watchers enjoy watching colonies of swifts fly across the sky. Some people track their migration and report the birds' progress on the Internet.
Additional Topics
Swifts are aerial birds, meaning that they spend much of their lives in the air. Birds eat, drink, mate, and are believed to sleep while flying. Swifts are powerful flyers because they have strong breast muscles and long wings that are large and narrow. Their legs and feet are so small that they cannot walk. When swifts are on the ground, they are unable to quickly take off and fly. As a result, s…
Swifts become active at dawn. They are noisy and live in large groups called colonies. Some species migrate, flying from an area with harsh winter weather to a warmer climate where there is a larger food supply. Swifts are monogamous (muh-NAH-guh-mus), mating with one partner. Birds make nests out of twigs, feathers, and items they find while flying. To hold the material together, swifts use their…
Physical characteristics: The chimney swift is often described as a "cigar with wings." The swift's cylindrical body looks like a cigar. Its plumage is sooty brown (black-brown), and its underparts are gray-brown. The bird's wings are slightly curved and the tail only shows when it is spread.
Chimney swifts build their nests in empty chimneys, silos, well shafts, an…
Physical characteristics: The African palm swift is about 6.1 inches long (16 centimeters) and weighs from 0.4 to 0.5 ounces (10 to 14 grams). The palm swift has gray-brown plumage. The head and wings are darker than the pale under parts, and some birds have streaks of color on their throats. In male birds the throat is whiter than in female swifts. Geographic range: African palm swifts live in su…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments