Pygmy palm swift facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pygmy palm swift |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Tachornis |
| Species: |
T. furcata
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| Binomial name | |
| Tachornis furcata (Sutton, 1928)
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The pygmy palm swift (Tachornis furcata), sometimes called the pygmy swift, is a small bird from the swift family, Apodidae. You can find this bird in Colombia and Venezuela.
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About the Pygmy Palm Swift's Family Tree
Scientists group living things into families. The pygmy palm swift was once thought to be part of a different group. It was even considered a type of fork-tailed palm swift. But now, experts agree it is its own special species. There are two slightly different kinds, called subspecies: T. f. furcata and T. f. nigrodorsalis.
What Does the Pygmy Palm Swift Look Like?
This swift is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. That's about the length of a pen! It has long, thin, and pointy wings. Its tail is long and deeply forked, like a "V" shape. Both male and female pygmy palm swifts look the same.
The main subspecies, T. f. furcata, has brown feathers on its back and head. Its throat and upper belly are whitish. A brown band separates these lighter parts. The lower belly and feathers under its tail are also brown. The other subspecies, T. f. nigrodorsalis, has darker, almost black, feathers on its back. Its throat is even whiter than the first kind.
Where Do Pygmy Palm Swifts Live?
The T. f. furcata subspecies lives in northeastern Colombia. You can find it in the Norte de Santander Department. It also lives in the nearby southern part of Venezuela's Maracaibo Basin. The T. f. nigrodorsalis subspecies lives in the western part of the Maracaibo Basin.
These birds mostly live in warm, wet evergreen forests. They also like areas where forests are growing back. You might see them in open areas or farms too. But these places must have palm trees, which they need for their homes.
Pygmy Palm Swift Behavior
How Pygmy Palm Swifts Move Around
Scientists believe that pygmy palm swifts stay in the same area all year. They do not migrate to different places.
What Pygmy Palm Swifts Eat
Like all swifts, the pygmy palm swift eats insects while flying. They catch their food right out of the air! We don't know all the details about what they eat. They usually fly and hunt for food in small groups.
Pygmy Palm Swift Reproduction
We don't know exactly when pygmy palm swifts breed. It might be from January to July. They build a special nest that looks like a bag. They make it mostly from feathers. They stick the feathers together using their own saliva. These nests hang from the bottom of a droopy palm leaf. We do not know how many eggs they lay. We also don't know how long the eggs take to hatch. And we don't know how long it takes for the young birds to fly.
Pygmy Palm Swift Sounds
There are not many recordings of pygmy palm swift calls. But their call is described as a "buzzy" sound. It sounds like "bee-beez-beez-beez-be-be-be." The sound gets faster and then fades away.
Pygmy Palm Swift Status
The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) says the pygmy palm swift is a species of "Least Concern." This means it is not in immediate danger of disappearing. Even though it lives in a small area, and its population seems to be shrinking, there are no big threats right now. It appears to be a common bird. It does not need special protection efforts at this time.
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