Plain swift facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Plain swift |
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The plain swift (Apus unicolor) is a medium-sized swift. Even though it looks a bit like a barn swallow or house martin, it's not related to them at all. They look similar because they have adapted to similar ways of life. This is called convergent evolution.
Amazing Swift Habits
Swifts have very short legs. They only use them to hold onto rough, vertical surfaces. They never land on the ground by choice. These birds spend most of their lives in the air! They catch insects with their beaks while flying. They even drink water while they are flying.
Where Do Plain Swifts Live?
Plain swifts build their nests in groups called colonies. You can find their nests on cliffs, bridges, and buildings. They live on the Canary Islands and Madeira. Female swifts lay two eggs in a nest. The nest is shaped like a saucer and is made of flowerheads glued together with their saliva.
Many plain swifts are migratory. This means they travel to warmer places for winter. They fly from the islands to mainland Africa. For a long time, people thought they stayed near the African coast. But new studies show they fly much farther! They travel about 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) to the forests of Liberia and Guinea.
A few plain swifts might also live in Morocco. A group was found on coastal cliffs between Agadir and Essaouira. They might also be seen often in Mauritania.
How to Spot a Plain Swift
This swift is about 14–15 centimeters (5.5–6 inches) long. It looks very much like its close relatives, the common swift and the pallid swift. These other swifts also live in the same island areas. It can be hard to tell them apart without a very good look.
Like other swifts, the plain swift has a short, forked tail. It also has very long wings that sweep back. These wings look like a crescent moon or a boomerang.
The plain swift is almost completely dark. It only has a light patch on its throat that is hard to see. It is thinner and looks more graceful than the pallid swift. It is also darker than the pallid swift. It does not have the clear white throat patch that the pallid swift has.
It's even harder to tell a plain swift from a common swift. Young common swifts are easier to spot because they have a white throat. The plain swift is thinner and seems to have longer wings than the common swift. It also has scaly-looking feathers on its belly. These are hard to see unless you get a very good view.
The sound a plain swift makes is a loud, dry scream. It sounds similar to the common swift's call. However, it might be a bit higher-pitched.
See also
In Spanish: Vencejo unicolor para niños
