American black swift facts for kids
Quick facts for kids American black swift |
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| An adult on its nest in Shoshone County, Idaho | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Cypseloides
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| Species: |
niger
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| Range
breeding visitor passage and vagrancy present year-round (movements in South America are poorly known) |
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The American black swift (Cypseloides niger) is a type of bird found from northern British Columbia in Canada, through the United States and Mexico, all the way to Costa Rica and Brazil. You can also find them in the Caribbean.
Contents
What Do They Look Like?
When these birds fly, they look a bit like a flying cigar with long, curved wings. Their feathers are mostly a dark, sooty gray. Some parts of their wings are darker than others, especially their shoulders. They have short tails that are slightly forked, like a shallow "V" shape.
What Do They Eat?
American black swifts spend most of their time flying, even when they eat! They catch and eat flying insects. Their favorite foods are usually flying ants and beetles. They often hunt for food in small groups.
Where Do They Live and Raise Their Young?
These birds often build their nests near water. They usually choose tall cliffs, either right above the ocean or next to waterfalls. Their nests are made of twigs and moss glued together with mud. Sometimes, they also use ferns or seaweed if they can find them.
A female swift lays only one egg. The egg hatches in about 23 to 27 days. Young chicks are fed many times a day. But older chicks usually get food only once a day from each parent, often around sunset. Adult swifts sleep near their nest at night.
Where Do They Go?
After they raise their young, these birds fly away from North America for the winter. Scientists don't know exactly where most of them go. However, some swifts have been tracked flying all the way to Brazil from Colorado! Some swifts in the Caribbean islands stay there all year.
American black swifts arrive late in spring to their breeding areas. For example, in Colorado, they don't show up until late May or June. Sometimes, big groups of swifts are seen flying during spring and fall migration. But they are rarely seen far south of where they breed in the U.S.
Where Are They Found?
Fewer than 150 places where black swifts breed are known in the United States. As of 2012, 108 of these places were in Colorado. Here are some of the places where you can find them:
- In Alberta, Canada: Near a waterfall in Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park. Their numbers here are going down, so they got extra protection in 2018.
- In California: Along the Santa Cruz coast (where their numbers are also going down). You can also find them at Berry Creek Falls, Burney Falls State Park, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. They are also in the San Bernardino Mountains and the San Jacinto Mountains.
- In Colorado: Places like Box Canyon near Ouray, Hanging Lake, Hawk Creek Falls, Falls Creek Falls, and Niagara and Cataract Gulches.
- In New Mexico: At Jemez Falls.
- In Utah: At Stewart Falls.
- In Washington: At Semiahmoo Bay.
See also
In Spanish: Vencejo negro para niños
