>Apus batesi (Bates's Swift)

Bates's Swift

 

Bates's Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. batesi
Binomial name
Apus batesi (Sharpe, 1904)

The Bates's Swift (Apus batesi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is found in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria.

>Apus horus (Horus Swift)

Horus Swift

Horus Swift
Horus Swift in South Luangwa National Park,Zambia
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. horus
Binomial name
Apus horus (Heuglin, 1869)

The Horus Swift, Apus horus, is a small bird in the swift family. It breeds in sub-Saharan Africa. It has an extensive continuous distribution from eastern and southern South Africa north to southern Zambia and central Mozambique, and has recently colonised the De Hoop Nature Reserve area of the Western Cape.

It also occurs very discontinuously in much of the rest of the sub-Saharan region, with the Ethiopian mountains and the area from central Kenya into Uganda having large populations. Identification difficulties confuse the limits of this species’ range.

Birds in South Africa are migratory, wintering further north. Other populations are resident apart from local movements.

The Horus Swift breeds in old burrows of bee-eaters, Ground Woodpeckers, kingfishers and martins, which are typically in natural or artificial sandy banks. The flat nest of vegetation and hair, glued with saliva is built at the end of the tunnel and 1-4 eggs are laid. The eggs are incubated for 28 days to hatching, and the fledging period is about 6 weeks.

This species is not colonial, but the nature of its breeding habitat means that a number of pairs may be scattered through a bee-eater or Banded Martin colony. It feeds at middle levels over adjacent habitats, but avoids large towns.

The Horus Swift is 13-15 cm long and quite bulky. It appears entirely blackish except for a white patch on the chin and a white rump. It has a medium length forked tail. It has a fluttering flight like Little Swift. Little Swift has a square tail, and more extensive white on the rump than Horus, and White-rumped Swift has a more deeply forked tail and a narrower white band. The call is a buzzing peeeeooo, peeeeooo.

The paler subspecies A. h. fuscobrunneus of southwestern Angola has a small grey throat patch and a brown rump. The form toulsoni of northwestern Angola and Zimbabwe is a dark morph of nominate A. h. horus, with a dark rump and small throat patch. Both dark forms have sometimes been split as separate species.

Horus, whose name this bird commemorates, was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, son of Osiris and Isis.

>Apus nipalensis (House Swift)

House Swift

 

House Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. nipalnsis
Binomial name
Apus nipalensis (Hodgson, 1837)

The House Swift (Apus nipalensis) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is found in Nepal, and Southeast Asia. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Little Swift.

>Apus affinis (Little Swift)

Little Swift

Little Swift
In India.
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. affinis
Binomial name
Apus affinis (JE Gray, 1830)
Summer      Resident

In Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

The Little Swift (Apus affinis), is a small bird, superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles. The former eastern race, House Swift, is usually considered a separate species, Apus nipalensis.

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground.

Little Swifts breed around habitation and cliffs from Africa northeastwards through southern India and Sri Lanka. Unlike the more northerly Common Swift, many birds are resident, but some populations are migratory, and winter further south than their breeding areas. They wander widely on migration, and are seen as rare vagrants in much of Europe and Asia.

At nest in Hyderabad, India.

Little Swifts build their nests in hole in buildings or sometimes on cliffs, laying 1-4 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary. A species of bedbugCimex hemipterus has been recorded from its nest in India.

Little Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing, but roost on vertical cliffs or walls. They are notoriously slow risers in the mornings.

Little Swifts are readily identified by their small size. Their wingspan is 33 cm compared to the 42 cm of Common Swift. They are black except for a white rump, the white extending on to the flanks. They have a short square tail. The flight is fluttering like a House Martin.

The call is a high twittering.

>Apus cooki (Cook's Swift)

Cook's Swift

 

Cook's Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. cooki
Binomial name
Apus cooki (Harington, 1913)

The Cook's's Swift (Apus cooki), is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Blyth's Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

Cook's Swifts breed in limestone caves of Thailand, Myanmar and Indochina. The species has a green iridescence, a shallow tail fork and is a short distance migrant. A 2011 study has many taxonomists splitting this species from the Fork-tailed Swift complex.

These swifts build their nests on cliffs, laying 2-3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary.

Cook's Swifts are similar in size to Common Swift, and they are black except for a white rump. They can be distinguished from a partially leucistic Common Swift by the deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head and larger white throat patch.

>Apus leuconyx (Blyth's Swift)

Blyth's Swift

Blyth's Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. leuconyx
Binomial name
Apus leuconyx (Blyth, 1845)

The Blyth's Swift (Apus leuconyx), is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Blyth's Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

Blyth's Swifts breeds from the outer Himalayas through the Assam hills. This species is migratory, and winters in India and Sri Lanka. A 2011 study has many taxonomists splitting this species from the Fork-tailed Swift complex.

These swifts build their nests on cliffs, laying 2-3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary.

Blyth's Swifts are similar in size to Common Swift, and they are black except for a white rump. They can be distinguished from a partially leucistic Common Swift by the deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head and larger white throat patch.

>Apus pacificus (Pacific Swift)

Pacific Swift

Pacific Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. pacificus
Binomial name
Apus pacificus (Latham, 1802)

The Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus), is a small bird, superficially similar to a House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolutionreflecting similar life styles.

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Pacific Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

Pacific Swifts breeds from central Siberia eastwards through Asia. This species is migratory, wintering south to Australia. It is a rare vagrant in western Europe, but has been recorded as far west as Norway and Great Britain. A 2011 study suggests that the populations can be treated as four distinct species. In this treatment Apus pacificus in the more restricted sense refers to the population that breeds from Siberia to Japan and winters in Southeast Asia east to Tasmania. The breeding population of the Tibetan Plateau is longer tailed and a narrow white rump has been called Salim Ali's Swift A. salimali. The breeders along the Himalayas of Nepal and Bhutan are treated as Blyth's Swift (A. leuconyx). Cook's Swift (A. cooki) which breeds in limestone caves of northern Southeast Asia has a green iridescence, a shallow tail fork and is a short distance migrant.

These swifts build their nests on cliffs, laying 2-3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary.

Pacific Swifts are similar in size to Common Swift, and they are black except for a white rump. They can be distinguished from a partially leucistic Common Swift by the deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head and larger white throat patch.

>Apus berliozi (Forbes-Watson's Swift)

Forbes-Watson's Swift

 

Forbes-Watson's Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. berliozi
Binomial name
Apus berliozi Ripley, 1965

The Forbes-Watson's Swift (Apus berliozi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is found in Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen.

>Apus barbatus (African Black Swift)

African Black Swift

African Black Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. barbatus
Binomial name
Apus barbatus (Sclater, 1866)

The African Black Swift or African Swift, Apus barbatus, is a small bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya south to South Africa, and on Madagascar. The breeding habitat is damp mountains, typically between 1,600 - 2,400 m, but less often at lower altitudes. This species feeds readily over lowland, and can form very large flocks, often with other gregarious swifts.

From a great spot at the top of a cliff at Hlokozi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

The nominate South African subspecies is migratory, wintering further north. Other subspecies are resident. Of the other seven accepted forms, the most widespread is the small dark A. b. roehli of east Africa. Two other dark races, A. b. balstoni and A. b. mayottensis, are restricted to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands respectively. It has been suggested that somebalstoni migrate to the continental mainland when not breeding, but this has not been proved.

East African birds nest in hollow trees, whereas in South Africa this species uses cliffs, usually inland but also on the coast. The African Black Swift is a colonial breeder, sometimes forming mixed colonies with alpine swifts. The nest is a shallow grass cup glued to the substrate with saliva, and the typical clutch is one or two eggs.

The African Black Swift is 16-18 cm long and bulky like a pallid swift; it appears entirely blackish-brown except for a small white or pale grey patch on the chin which is not visible from a distance. It has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. This species is very similar to common swift but can be distinguished under optimum viewing conditions by the contrast between its black back and paler secondary wing feathers. The heavier build also gives it a distinctive flight action, which consisted of a steady level flight interspersed with short glides.

The call is a loud double rasped hissing scream zzzzzzzZZZTT, dissimilar to that of its confusion species.

>Apus pallidus (Pallid Swift)

Pallid Swift

Pallid Swift
Flying in Greece
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. pallidus
Binomial name
Apus pallidus Shelley, 1870

The Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus) is a small bird, superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since the swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.

Swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Ancient Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing.

Taxonomy

The Pallid Swift was first described by English naturalist George Ernest Shelley in 1870.

Description

This 16-17 cm (6.4-6.8 in) long species is very similar to the Common Swift, and separation is only possible with good views. Like its relative, it has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang.

It is entirely dark except for a large white throat patch which is frequently visible from a distance. It is chunkier and browner than Common Swift, and the slightly paler flight feathers, underparts and rump give more contrast than that species. It also has a scalier looking belly and subtly different flight action. The call is a loud dry scream similar to that of its relative, though possibly more disyllabic.

Distribution and habitat

Pallid Swifts breed on cliffs and eaves around the Mediterranean and on the Canary Islands and Madeira, laying two eggs. Like swallows, they are migratory, winter in southern Africa or southeast Asia.

They are rare north of their breeding areas, although they are likely to be under-recorded due to identification problems. Because of its more southerly range, Pallid Swift arrives earlier and leaves later than the closely related Common Swift, so particularly early or late swifts north of the normal range should be carefully observed.

>Apus niansae (Nyanza Swift)

Nyanza Swift

 

Nyanza Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. niansae
Binomial name
Apus niansae (Reichenow, 1887)

The Nyanza Swift (Apus niansae) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. It is found in Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,Tanzania, and Uganda.

>Apus unicolor (Plain Swift)

Plain Swift

 

Plain Swift
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Genus:	Apus
Species:	A. unicolor
Binomial name
Apus unicolor (Jardine, 1830)

The Plain Swift (Apus unicolor) is a medium-sized swift. Although this bird is superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin, it is not related to those passerine species. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.

Swifts have very short legs that they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. They never settle voluntarily on the ground, and spend most of their lives in the air, feeding on insects that they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing.

Plain Swifts breed in colonies on cliffs, bridges and buildings on the Canary Islands and Madeira, laying two eggs in a saucer-shaped nest made of floerheads glued with saliva. They are partially migratory, with some birds leaving to winter in northwest Africa.

This 14-15 cm long species is very similar to the closely related Common and Pallid Swifts, which also occur in the archipelagos, and separation is only possible with good views. Like its relatives, it has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang.

It is entirely dark except for an indistinct pale throat patch. It is slimmer and more rakish than the Pallid Swift, and is darker than that species and lacks the obvious white throat.

Distinguishing the Plain Swift from the similarly plumaged Common Swift is much more difficult, although juvenile Common can be easily eliminated due to its white throat. The Plain is slimmer and appears longer winged than the Common, and has scaly underparts, difficult to see except with excellent views. The call is a loud dry scream similar to that of the Common Swift, though possibly higher pitched.