Sunday, 8 June 2025

Dark brown‑black plumage with a pale patch on the chin. It has long, slender, scythe‑shaped wings and a short forked tail (en.wikipedia.org).

 Common swift - Wikipedia

🕊️ Overview & Identification

  • Size: Measures about 16–17 cm long with a 42–48 cm wingspan (animaldiversity.org).

  • Appearance: Dark brown‑black plumage with a pale patch on the chin. It has long, slender, scythe‑shaped wings and a short forked tail (en.wikipedia.org).

  • Flight style: Known for fast, powerful wingbeats and prolonged glides, often emitting shrill “screaming” calls or two‑tone screeches (en.wikipedia.org).

🌍 Habitat & Range

  • Distribution: Breeds across Europe and temperate Asia; winters in sub‑Saharan Africa (animaldiversity.org).

  • Nesting: Prefers vertical structures—cliffs, chimneys, eaves of old buildings—using their unique grasping feet (animaldiversity.org).

✈️ Aerial Lifestyle & Migration

  • Nearly constant flight: Non‑breeding swifts can remain airborne for up to 10 months, landing only briefly to breed (animals.howstuffworks.com).

  • Speed and range: Can fly 570–800 km per day during migration, reach speeds up to ~111 km/h, covering truly vast distances (birdlife.org).

🎙️ Social Behavior & Communication

  • "Screaming parties": Groups of 10–20 swifts form noisy evening aerial gatherings—possibly for roosting or social interaction (en.wikipedia.org).

  • Calls and sex: Vocalizations have rapid final “tweets”; males produce them about every 17 ms, females around 28 ms—an audible marker of sex (wildechoes.org).

🐣 Reproduction

  • Pairing: Monogamous and faithful to nesting sites. Courtship begins at nest cavities on walls or buildings (animaldiversity.org).

  • Breeding cycle: Migrate north in spring, lay 1–4 eggs (usually two), incubate for ~19–20 days, and fledge in about a month (animaldiversity.org).

🛡️ Conservation

  • Status: Globally “Least Concern,” but threatened by loss of nesting sites and insect food due to modern building practices and pesticides (birdlife.org).

  • Protective steps: Installing swift boxes and preserving eaves and chimneys helps maintain urban populations (birdlife.org).

Why the Common Swift Is Extraordinary

  1. Almost perpetual flight—a true master of the skies, eating, drinking, and sleeping aloft.

  2. High endurance and speed—record‑setting migration feats.

  3. Unique social dynamics—even their calls reveal sex and possibly individual identity.

"This Content Sponsored by Buymote Shopping app

BuyMote E-Shopping Application is One of the Online Shopping App

Now Available on Play Store & App Store (Buymote E-Shopping)

Click Below Link and Install Application: https://buymote.shop/links/0f5993744a9213079a6b53e8

Sponsor Content: #buymote #buymoteeshopping #buymoteonline #buymoteshopping #buymoteapplication"

No comments:

Post a Comment