Jump to content

Swift (bird): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
mNo edit summary
Line 22: Line 22:
The family scientific name comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] απους, ''apous'', meaning "without feet", since swifts have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic [[martlet]].
The family scientific name comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] απους, ''apous'', meaning "without feet", since swifts have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic [[martlet]].


Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the [[Common Swift]], even sleep and mate on the wing. Larger species, such as [[white-throated needletail]], are amongst the fastest flyers in animal kingdom. One group, the [[Swiftlet]]s or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of [[echolocation]] for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. One species, ''Aerodramus papuensis'' has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also.
Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the [[Common Swift]], even sleep and mate on the wing. Larger species, such as [[white-throated needletail]], are amongst the fastest flyers in the animal kingdom. One group, the [[Swiftlet]]s or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of [[echolocation]] for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. One species, ''Aerodramus papuensis'' has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also.


Like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly [[bird migration|migratory]] and winter in the tropics.
Like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly [[bird migration|migratory]] and winter in the tropics.

Revision as of 20:32, 31 July 2006

For other uses, see Swift (bird) (disambiguation).

Swifts
Chimney Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Apodiformes
Family:
Apodidae

Hartert, 1897
Genera

Many; see text.

The swifts are birds superficially similar to swallows but are actually not closely related to those passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they formerly shared with the hummingbirds.

The resemblances between the swifts and swallows 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", since swifts have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic martlet.

Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the Common Swift, even sleep and mate on the wing. Larger species, such as white-throated needletail, are amongst the fastest flyers in the animal kingdom. One group, the Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. One species, Aerodramus papuensis has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also.

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 of some species is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows.

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.

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

Tribe Collocaliini - swiftlets

Tribe Chaeturini - needletails

Tribe Apodini - typical swifts

Reference

  • Swifts by Chantler and Driessens, ISBN 1-873403-83-6
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Swift_(bird)&oldid=66916645"