Balcony Birding: The Little Swift

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Little Swift | Apus Affinis

Swifts are among the fastest of birds! It took me months of wait & immense patience to finally see them fly closer to me. This was an opportunity to photograph them, but it was not an easy task. They strained my neck the most. True to their name they are extremely swift which made photographing them challenging. They are small and swim across the sky super fast. So when I would look at their photos I would be disappointed as they look like small black silhouettes in the vast blue sky. I did not give up and finally I had some photos that I was really happy with.

The Little Swift species are highly aerial birds, spending most of their lives in the air.

Since they live their lives in the air, they feed in the air by catching the flying insects.

They are exceptionally agile in flight and never settle voluntarily on the ground. They drink by gliding over smooth water and taking sips.

Swifts communicate acoustically and visually.
The males performs an aerial display to attract females and keep intruders away.

Their tail looks squarish when closed and rounded when open. Sometimes a single cleft is seen

Sometimes the wings of a male species produce sound during such aerial displays due to vibrating feathers.

Their plumage appears black except for a white throat and rump. Although they appear to be mostly black, but are actually sooty brown.

The tail is pale gray and appears translucent in flight.

Swifts have tiny feet and almost no legs, an adaptation to their aerial lifestyle.

The scientific name for swift, “Apus” comes from the ancient Greek word ‘apous‘ which means “without feet“. The swifts and its relatives form a group called the Apodidae – an ancient group of birds. They probably separated from all other birds in the Tertiary period (65 million years ago)

It is also known as the Indian House Swift.
As a group, swifts are the fastest of all birds in level flight.

Interestingly, the swifts have the closest genetic relations with the hummingbirds; they are not related to swallows or martins. Their closest living relatives are other swifts, swiftlets and tree swifts (which can perch)

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Do watch out for the next post on another species from my #BalconyBirdingList

Posts shared so far on:

1. Rosy Starlings
2. Alexandrine Parakeet
3. Rose-Ringed Parakeet
4. Plum Headed Parakeet
5. Indian Spot-Billed Duck
6. Yellow-Footed Green Pigeon
7. Black-Winged Stilt
8. Indian Peafowl
9. Indian Purple Sunbird
10. Green Bee-Eater
11. Indian Silverbill
12. Black-Headed Ibis
13. Red-Naped Ibis
14. Glossy Ibis
15. Little Swift

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The Soul Is Here For It’s Own Joy!
Monika Ohson | TravelerInMe

This published post is being shared as part of:

#WordlessWednesday now hosted by Natasha (currently alt Wed)
and other fabulous people around the globe — Sue ,  Betty ,  Zina