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For other uses, see Swift (disambiguation).
Swifts
Common Swift, Apus apusNote wing shape different from swallows
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. The Common Swift ( Apus apus) is a small Bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin. The swallows and martins are a group of Passerine Birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Ernst Johann Otto Hartert ( October 29, 1859 - November 11, 1933) was a German Ornithologist and Oologist. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common

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. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The swallows and martins are a group of Passerine Birds in the family Hirundinidae which are characterised by their adaptation to aerial Hummingbirds are Birds in the family Trochilidae, and are endemic to the Americas. The treeswifts are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae. The treeswifts or crested swifts are a family, Hemiprocnidae, of aerial Near passerine Birds closely related to the true swifts

The resemblances between swifts and swallows are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles based on catching insects in flight. Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described

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 Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic martlet. Note that the British version of the F4F Wildcat was initially called the Martlet.

Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the Common Swift, even sleep and mate on the wing. The Common Swift ( Apus apus) is a small Bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin. Larger species, such as White-throated Needletail, are amongst the fastest flyers in the animal kingdom. The White-throated Needletail ( Hirundapus caudacutus) also known as Needle-tailed Swift or Spine-tailed Swift, is a large Swift. One group, the Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. Swiftlets or cave swiftlets are Birds contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological Sonar used by several Animals such as Dolphins Shrews most Bats One species, Aerodramus papuensis has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also.

Swifts have a worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate areas, but like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability

Many swifts have a characteristic shape, with a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. A boomerang is a simple implement used for various purposes It is primarily associated with Australian Aborigines but has been found amongst peoples of North 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. The Purple Needletail is the largest Swift found in the Old World. 5 oz) and measures 25 cm (10 inches) long.

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. Aerodramus is a Genus of small dark cave-nesting Birds in the Collocaliini tribe of the Swift family Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to

Contents

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. Hummingbirds are Birds in the family Trochilidae, and are endemic to the Americas. Eurotrochilus is an Extinct Genus of primitive 30-million-year-old Hummingbird (E 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). The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird Taxonomy proposed by Charles Sibley and Jon Edward Ahlquist.

The taxonomy of the swifts is in general complicated, with genus and species boundaries widely disputed, especially amongst the swiftlets. Swiftlets or cave swiftlets are Birds contained within the four genera Aerodramus, Hydrochous, Schoutedenapus and 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. Parallel evolution is the independent evolution of similar traits starting from a similar ancestral condition due to similar environments or other evolutionary pressures The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism A DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the Primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA Molecule , 2005).

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). The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Oligocene is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene period and extends from about 33 The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 A prehistoric genus sometimes assigned to the swifts, Primapus (Early Eocene of England), might also be a more distant ancestor. Primapus is an Extinct Genus of apodiform Bird from the Early Eocene of the United Kingdom.

Taxonomic list of Apodidae

Tribe Cypseloidini

Tribe Collocalini - swiftlets

Tribe Chaeturini - needletails

Tribe Apodini - typical swifts

References

External links

Dictionary

swift

-adjective

  1. fast; quick; rapid;
  2. Capable of moving at high speeds, or great speeds.

-noun

  1. (obsolete) The current of a stream.
  2. A small plain-colored bird (of the family Micropodidæ) that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight. Common European swift: Cypselus, ∨ Micropus, apus. The common American, or chimney, swift: Chætura pelagica. The Australian swift: Chætura caudacuta. The European Alpine swift: Cypselus melba. The common Indian swift: Cypselus affinis.
  3. A western fence lizard, swift, blue-belly, Sceloporus occidentalis -- (common western lizard; seen on logs or rocks)
  4. The ghost moth.

Swift

-proper noun

  1. A surname, originally a nickname for a swift or quick person.
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