- Black Swift
Taxobox
name = Black Swift
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo =Apodiformes
familia =Apodidae
genus = "Cypseloides "
species = "C. niger"
binomial = "Cypseloides niger"
binomial_authority = (Gmelin,1789 )The Black Swift ("Cypseloides niger") is
North America ’s largestswift . The bird is found from northernBritish Columbia inCanada through the United States andMexico toCosta Rica . It is also found on islands in theWest Indies .In flight, this bird looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is mostly a sooty dark gray. There is some contrast between the upper and lower wing. The shoulders are much darker in color than the remaining portion of the wing. They also have short slightly forked tails.
Their breeding habitat is frequently associated with water. The birds most often nest on high
cliff faces, either above the ocean surf or behind or next towaterfall s. The nest is made of twigs andmoss glued together withmud . The will also usefern s andseaweed if available. The females usually lay 1 egg, sometimes 2, and incubation lasts 23-27 days. Young are fed usually once a day by both parents, most often at dusk.These birds do migrate out of North America after the breeding season. It remains unclear where most of the birds spend the winter, although it appears some of the swifts in the West Indies remain as year round residents. They are one of the last migrants to appear, often seen migrating in mid-June to early July. They also migrate in large flocks.
These birds live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying
insect s, primarily flyingants andbeetle s. They usually feed in groups, flying closely together.References
* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
* [http://www.bird-stamps.org/cspecies/8400200.htm Stamps] Lesser Antilles:
Dominica
* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=black+swift&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Black Swift photo gallery] VIREO
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