🕊️ Overview & Identification
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Size: Measures about 16–17 cm long with a 42–48 cm wingspan (animaldiversity.org).
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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).
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Flight style: Known for fast, powerful wingbeats and prolonged glides, often emitting shrill “screaming” calls or two‑tone screeches (en.wikipedia.org).
🌍 Habitat & Range
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Distribution: Breeds across Europe and temperate Asia; winters in sub‑Saharan Africa (animaldiversity.org).
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Nesting: Prefers vertical structures—cliffs, chimneys, eaves of old buildings—using their unique grasping feet (animaldiversity.org).
✈️ Aerial Lifestyle & Migration
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Nearly constant flight: Non‑breeding swifts can remain airborne for up to 10 months, landing only briefly to breed (animals.howstuffworks.com).
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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
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"Screaming parties": Groups of 10–20 swifts form noisy evening aerial gatherings—possibly for roosting or social interaction (en.wikipedia.org).
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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
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Pairing: Monogamous and faithful to nesting sites. Courtship begins at nest cavities on walls or buildings (animaldiversity.org).
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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
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Status: Globally “Least Concern,” but threatened by loss of nesting sites and insect food due to modern building practices and pesticides (birdlife.org).
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Protective steps: Installing swift boxes and preserving eaves and chimneys helps maintain urban populations (birdlife.org).
Why the Common Swift Is Extraordinary
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Almost perpetual flight—a true master of the skies, eating, drinking, and sleeping aloft.
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High endurance and speed—record‑setting migration feats.
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Unique social dynamics—even their calls reveal sex and possibly individual identity.
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