Swifts
Common Swift, Apus apus Note wing shape different from swallows
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae Hartert, 1897
Genera
Nearly 20, see text. // Birds Swift People People whose family name is or was Swift include Allan Swift (born 1935), U.S. politician Clive Swift (born 1936), British actor David Swift (born 1933), British actor Edward D. Swift, U.S. astronomer George R. Swift (1887-1972), U.S. politician Graham Swift (born 1949), British... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 1600 pixel, file size: 677 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Binomial name Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758) The Common Swift (Apus apus) is a small bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin. ... Genera Many, see text. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea 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... For other meanings of bird, see bird (disambiguation). ... Families Apodidae Hemiprocnidae Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three families: the swifts, Apodidae, the tree swifts, Hemiprocnidae, and the hummingbirds, Trochilidae. ... Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (October 29, 1859 - November 11, 1933) was an German ornithologist and oologist. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The swifts are birds superficially similar to swallows but are actually not closely related to those passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they formerly shared with the hummingbirds. The treeswifts are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae. For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Genera Many, see text. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... For other uses, see Hummingbird (disambiguation). ... † see also: Hummingbird Swift The tree swifts or crested swifts are aerial near passerine birds, closely related to the true swifts. ...

The resemblances between the swifts and swallows are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles based on catching insects in flight. In evolutionary biology, convergent evolution is the process whereby organisms not closely related, independently evolve similar traits as a result of having to adapt to similar environments or ecological niches. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera...

The family scientific name comes from the Ancient Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet", since swifts have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic martlet. Note: This article contains special characters. ... A martlet is a type of heraldic bird similar to the swallow, but having no feet. ...

Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the Common Swift, even sleep and mate on the wing. Larger species, such as White-throated Needletail, are amongst the fastest flyers in the animal kingdom. One group, the Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. One species, Aerodramus papuensis has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also. 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 Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham, 1802) The White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), or Needle-tailed Swift, is a large swift. ... Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus // Description The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia. ... Echolocation, also called Biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several mammals such as bats (although not all species), dolphins and whales (though not baleen whales). ...

Like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics. Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys of varying distances undertaken by many species of birds. ...

Many swifts have a characteristic shape, with a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The flight of some species is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows. Swifts range in size from the Pygmy Swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes), which weighs 5.4 g and measures 9 cm (3.7 inches) long, to the Purple Needletail (Hirundapus celebensis), which weighs 184 g (6.5 oz) and measures 25 cm (10 inches) long. This article is about the wooden implement. ... Binomial name Hirundapus celebensis (Sclater, 1865) The Purple Needletail is the largest swift found in the Old World. ...

The nest of many species is glued to a vertical surface with saliva, and the genus Aerodramus use only that substance, which is the basis for bird's nest soup. Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera of Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and the remaining species left in Collocalia. ... The key ingredient of bird-nest soup An island in southern Thailand where bird nests are collected Birds nest soup is a delicacy[1] in Chinese cuisine. ...

Systematics and evolution

Swifts and treeswifts have long been considered to be relatives of the hummingbirds, a judgement corroborated by the discovery of the Jungornithidae, which were apparently swift-like hummingbird relatives, and of primitive hummingbirds such as Eurotrochilus. Traditional taxonomies place the hummingbird family (Trochilidae) in the same order as the swifts; the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy places them in a new order, Trochiliformes, which forms a superorder with the swifts and treeswifts (and no other birds). For other uses, see Hummingbird (disambiguation). ... The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. ...

The taxonomy of the swifts is in general complicated, with genus and species boundaries widely disputed, especially amongst the swiftlets. Analysis of behavior and vocalizations is marred by common parallel evolution, while analyses of different morphological traits and of various DNA sequences have yielded equivocal and partly contradictory results (Thomassen et al., 2005). Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus // Description The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia. ... Bee hovering in flight In evolutionary biology, parallel evolution refers to the independent evolution of similar traits in closely related lineages of species, while convergent evolution refers to the appearance of striking similarities among lineages of organisms only very distantly related. ... The term morphology in biology refers to the outward appearance (shape, structure, colour, pattern) of an organism or taxon and its component parts. ... A DNA sequence (sometimes genetic sequence) is a succession of letters representing the primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA molecule or strand, The possible letters are A, C, G, and T, representing the four nucleotide subunits of a DNA strand (adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymine), and typically these are...

The Apodiformes diversified during the Eocene, at the end of which the extant families were present; fossil genera are known from all over temperate Europe, between today's Denmark and France, such as the primitive Scaniacypselus (Early - Middle Eocene) and the more modern Procypseloides (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene - Early Miocene). A prehistoric genus sometimes assigned to the swifts, Primapus (Early Eocene of England), might also be a more distant ancestor. hfajhfiudshfas == == == --24. ... The Oligocene epoch is a geologic period of time that extends from about 34 million to 23 million years before the present. ... The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ...

Taxonomic list of Apodidae

Tribe Cypseloidini

• Genus Cypseloides - includes Streptoprocne
  • Chestnut-collared Swift, Cypseloides rutilus
  • Tepui Swift, Cypseloides phelpsi
  • Black Swift, Cypseloides niger
  • White-chested Swift, Cypseloides lemosi
  • Rothschild's Swift, Cypseloides rothschildi
  • Sooty Swift, Cypseloides fumigatus
  • Spot-fronted Swift, Cypseloides cherriei
  • White-chinned Swift, Cypseloides cryptus
  • White-fronted Swift, Cypseloides storeri
  • Great Dusky Swift, Cypseloides senex

• Genus Streptoprocne
  • White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris
  • Biscutate Swift, Streptoprocne biscutata
  • White-naped Swift, Streptoprocne semicollaris

Tribe Collocalini - swiftlets Cypseloides is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Cypseloides rutilus (Vieillot, 1817) The Chestnut-collared Swift, Cypseloides rutilus, is a resident breeding bird from Mexico and Trinidad south to Peru and Bolivia. ... Binomial name (Collins, 1972) Synonyms Cypseloides phelpsi Collins, 1972 The Tepui Swift (Streptoprocne phelpsi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Cypseloides niger (Gmelin, 1789) The Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) is North America’s largest swift. ... Binomial name Eisenmann & Lehmann, 1962 The White-chested Swift (Cypseloides lemosi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Zimmer, 1945 The Rothschilds Swift (Cypseloides rothschildi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Streubel, 1848) The Sooty Swift (Cypseloides fumigatus) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Ridgway, 1893 The Spot-fronted Swift (Cypseloides cherriei) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Zimmer, 1945 The White-chinned Swift (Cypseloides cryptus) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Navarro, A.T. Peterson, Escalante & D. Benitez, 1992 The White-fronted Swift (Cypseloides storeri) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Temminck, 1826) The Great Dusky Swift (Cypseloides senex) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Streptoprocne is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Streptoprocne zonaris (Shaw, 1796) The White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris, is a resident breeding bird from central Mexico, the Greater Antilles and Trinidad south to Peru, northern Argentina and southeastern Brazil. ... Binomial name (Sclater, 1865) The Biscutate Swift (Streptoprocne biscutata) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Streptoprocne semicollaris (de Saussure, 1859) The White-naped Swift is the largest representative of the swift family in the New World and possibly the world. ... Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus // Description The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Collocalia. ...

• Genus Collocalia (3-4 species)

• Genus Aerodramus (about 25 species)

• Genus Hydrochous - Waterfall Swift

• Genus Schoutedenapus - African swiftlets (2 species)

Tribe Chaeturini - needletails Collocalia is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Genera Hydrochous Collocalia Aerodramus Schoutedenapus The birds called Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets are contained within the four genera of Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and the remaining species left in Collocalia. ... Binomial name (Hartert & Butler, 1901) Synonyms Hydrochrous gigas (Hartert & Butler, 1901) [orthographic error] The Waterfall Swift (Hydrochous gigas) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Schoutedenapus is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ...

• Genus Mearnsia
  • Philippine Needletail, Mearnsia picina
  • Papuan Spinetail, Mearnsia novaeguineae

• Genus Zoonavena
  • Malagasy Spinetail, Zoonavena grandidieri
  • Sao Tome Spinetail, Zoonavena thomensis
  • White-rumped Needletail, Zoonavena sylvatica

• Genus Telacanthura
  • Mottled Spinetail, Telacanthura ussheri
  • Black Spinetail, Telacanthura melanopygia

• Genus Rhaphidura
  • Silver-rumped Needletail, Rhaphidura leucopygialis
  • Sabine's Spinetail, Rhaphidura sabini

• Genus Neafrapus
  • Cassin's Spinetail, Neafrapus cassini
  • Bat-like Spinetail, Neafrapus boehmi

• Genus Hirundapus
  • White-throated Needletail, Hirundapus caudacutus
  • Silver-backed Needletail, Hirundapus cochinchinensis
  • Brown-backed Needletail, Hirundapus giganteus
  • Purple Needletail, Hirundapus celebensis

• Genus Chaetura (9 species)

Tribe Apodini - typical swifts Mearnsia is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Tweeddale, 1879) The Philippine Needletail (Mearnsia picina) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (D’Albertis & Salvadori, 1879) The Papuan Needletail (Mearnsia novaeguineae), also known as the Papuan Spine-tailed Swift or New Guinea Spine-tailed Swift, is a small (11. ... Zoonavena is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Verreaux, 1867) The Malagasy Spinetail (Zoonavena grandidieri) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Hartert, 1900) The São Tomé Spinetail (Zoonavena thomensis) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Zoonavena sylvatica (Tickell, 1846) The White-rumped Needletail or White-rumped Spinetail is a species of swift found in the forests of the Western Ghats. ... Telacanthura is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Sharpe, 1870) The Mottled Spinetail (Telacanthura ussheri) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Chapin, 1915) The Black Spinetail (Telacanthura melanopygia) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Rhaphidura is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Blyth, 1849) The Silver-rumped Spinetail (Rhaphidura leucopygialis) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Gray, 1829) The Sabines Spinetail (Rhaphidura sabini) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Neafrapus is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Sclater, 1863) The Cassins Spinetail (Neafrapus cassini) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (Schalow, 1882) The Bat-like Spinetail (Neafrapus boehmi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Hirundapus is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Hirundapus caudacutus (Latham, 1802) The White-throated Needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), or Needle-tailed Swift, is a large swift. ... Binomial name (Oustalet, 1878) The Silver-backed Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Hirundapus giganteus (Temminck,, 1825) The Brown-backed Needletail (Hirundapus giganteus), or Brown Needletail, is a large swift. ... Binomial name Hirundapus celebensis (Sclater, 1865) The Purple Needletail is the largest swift found in the Old World. ... Species Chaetura brachyura Chaetura cinereiventris Chaetura pelagica Chaetura spinicauda Chaetura vauxi . ...

• Genus Aeronautes
  • White-throated Swift, Aeronautes saxatalis
  • White-tipped Swift, Aeronautes montivagus
  • Andean Swift, Aeronautes andecolus

• Genus Tachornis
  • Tachornis uranoceles (fossil; Late Pleistocene of Puerto Rico)
  • Antillean Palm Swift, Tachornis phoenicobia
  • Pygmy Swift, Tachornis furcata
  • Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Tachornis squamata

• Genus Panyptila
  • Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Panyptila cayennensis
  • Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Panyptila sanctihieronymi

• Genus Cypsiurus
  • Asian Palm Swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis
  • African Palm Swift, Cypsiurus parvus

• Genus Apus (some 17 species)

Aeronautes is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Aeronautes saxatalis (Woodhouse, 1853) The White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatalis) is a swift of the family Apodidae native to western North America, south to Honduras. ... Binomial name (DOrbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) The White-tipped Swift (Aeronautes montivagus) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name (DOrbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) The Andean Swift (Aeronautes andecolus) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Tachornis is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... For other uses, see Fossil (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Tachornis phoenicobia Gosse, 1847 The Antillean Palm Swift (Tachornis phoenicobia) is a small swift. ... Binomial name (Sutton, 1928) The Pygmy Swift (Tachornis furcata) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Tachornis squamata (Cassin, 1853) The Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Tachornis squamata, is a resident breeding bird from Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and Trinidad south to northeastern Peru and Brazil. ... Panyptila is a genus of swift in the Apodidae family. ... Binomial name Panyptila cayennensis (Gmelin, 1789) The Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift or Cayenne Swift, Panyptila cayennensis, is a resident breeding bird from southern Mexico and Trinidad south to Ecuador, eastern Peru and Brazil. ... Binomial name Salvin, 1863 The Great Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila sanctihieronymi) is a species of swift in the Apodidae family. ... species Cypsiurus is a genus of the swift family of birds. ... Binomial name Cypsiurus balasiensis Gray,JE, 1829 The Asian Palm Swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) is a small swift. ... Binomial name Cypsiurus parvus (Lichtenstein, 1823) The African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus) is a small swift. ... Species Many, see list The bird genus Apus comprise some of the Old World members of the family Apodidae, commonly known as swifts. ...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Apodidae

• Chantler, Phil & Driessens, Gerald (2000): Swifts : a guide to the swifts and treeswifts of the world. Pica Press, Mountfield, East Sussex. ISBN 1-873403-83-6

• Thomassen, Henri A.; Tex, Robert-Jan; de Bakker, Merijn A.G. & Povel, G. David E. (2005): Phylogenetic relationships amongst swifts and swiftlets: A multi locus approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37(1): 264-277. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.010 (HTML abstract)

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... A digital object identifier (or DOI) is a standard for persistently identifying a piece of intellectual property on a digital network and associating it with related data, the metadata, in a structured extensible way. ...

External link

• CommonSwift.org -- Comprehensive website in several languages