Alpine Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae Genus: Apus Species: A. melba
Binomial name
Apus melba Linnaeus,, 1758

The Alpine Swift (Apus melba) is a small bird, superficially similar to a large 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. Download high resolution version (250x665, 77 KB)Alpine Swift from old German enc This image is in the public domain in the United States and possibly other jurisdictions. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria  Acoelomorpha  Orthonectida  Rhombozoa  Myxozoa  Superphylum Deuterostomia     Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascideiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Many - see section below. ... Genera Many; see text. ... For other meanings of the word Swift see Swift (disambiguation). ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ... A painting of Carolus Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné   listen?, and who wrote under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ... Orders Many - see section below. ... Binomial name Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 The Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) is a small migratory passerine bird found in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. ... Binomial name Delichon urbica (Linnaeus, 1758) The House Martin (Delichon urbica) is a migratory passerine of the family Hiruninidae. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera Many; see text. ...

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.

Alpine Swifts breed in mountains from southern Europe to the Himalaya. Like Common Swifts, they are strongly migratory, and winter much further south in southern Africa. They wander widely on migration, and are regularly seen in much of Europe and Asia. World map showing location of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... The Himalaya is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. ... Binomial name Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Swift (Apus apus) is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. ... // Long-distance land bird migration Many species of land birds migrate very long distances, the most common pattern being for birds to breed in the temperate or arctic northern hemisphere and winter in warmer regions, often in the tropics or the southern hemisphere. ... Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and 3rd most populous. ... World map showing location of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ...

Alpine Swifts build their nests in colonies in a suitable cliff hole or cave, laying 2-3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary. These birds pair for life.

Young swifts in the nest can drop their body temperature and become torpid if bad weather prevents their parents from catching insects nearby.

Alpine 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.

Alpine Swifts are readily identified by their large size. Their wingspan is 55cm compared to the 42cm of Common Swift. They are black except for a white belly and throat, with a dark neck band separating the white areas. They have a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The flight is slower and more powerful than that of their smaller relative. A typical wooden returning boomerang A boomerang is a curved, usually wooden, device which is thrown. ...

The call is a drawn-out twittering.

See also:

• Chimney Swift
• Common Swift
• Little Swift
• Needletail Swift

Binomial name Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus,, 1758) The Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) is a small swift. ... Binomial name Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Swift (Apus apus) is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. ... Binomial name Apus affinis (Gray,JE, 1830) The Little Swift (Apus affinis), or House Swift, is a small bird, superficially similar to a Barn Swallow or House Martin. ... Binomial name Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham, 1802) The White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), or Needle-tailed Swift, is a large swift. ...

Taxonomy

This species, and the related African species Mottled Swift, are sometimes separated into the genus Tachymarptis, but genetic evidence suggests that this would leave the remainder of Apus as polyphyletic.

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 Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical new approach to bird taxonomy based on DNA studies which gives an arrangement differing greatly from the more traditional approach used in list of birds. ... Genera Many, see text. ...