- American Black Swift
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American Black Swift 
Adult Black Swift on the nest in Shoshone County, Idaho Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae Genus: Cypseloides Species: C. niger Binomial name Cypseloides niger
(Gmelin, 1789)The American Black Swift or more simply Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) is found from northern British Columbia in Canada through the United States and Mexico to Costa Rica. It is also found on islands in the West Indies.[2]
In flight, this bird looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is mostly a sooty dark gray. There is some contrast between the upper and lower wing. The shoulders are much darker in color than the remaining portion of the wing. They also have short slightly forked tails.
Their breeding habitat is frequently associated with water. The birds most often nest on high cliff faces, either above the ocean surf or behind or next to waterfalls. The nest is made of twigs and moss glued together with mud. They will also use ferns and seaweed if available. The females usually lay 1 egg, sometimes 2, and incubation lasts 23-27 days. Young are fed usually once a day by both parents, most often at dusk.
These birds do migrate out of North America after the breeding season. It remains unclear where most of the birds spend the winter, although it appears some of the swifts in the West Indies remain as year round residents. They are one of the last migrants to appear, often seen migrating in mid-June to early July. They also migrate in large flocks.
American Black Swifts live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying insects, primarily flying ants and beetles. They usually feed in groups, flying closely together.
Contents
Status and distribution
North America
Fewer than 100 Black Swift breeding sites are known in the United States.[3] These include:
- In Alberta: Johnston Canyon.[4]
- In Arizona: the Chiricuhua Mountains.[4]
- In California: the Santa Cruz coast, Berry Creek Falls, Yosemite, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and the San Jacinto Mountains.[4]
- In Colorado: Box Canyon near Ouray[5], Hanging Lake,[6] Hawk Creek Falls, Falls Creek Falls and Niagara and Cataract Gulches.[4]
- In New Mexico: Jemez Falls.[4]
- In Utah: Stewart Falls.[4]
- In Washington: Semiahoo Bay[4]
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2009). "Cypseloides niger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/142723. Retrieved 25 May 2011.Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern.
- ^ Wiggins, David A. (2004). Black Swift (Cypseloides niger). A Technical Conservation Assesment. (online). USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region.
- ^ Dunne, Pete (2006) Pete Dunne's Essential Field Guide Companion ISBN 0-618-23648-1 page 350
- ^ a b c d e f g The Coolest Bird
- ^ Ouray, Colorado: Birding
- ^ Audubon IBAs: Hanging Lake
External links
- Stamps Lesser Antilles: Dominica
- Black Swift photo gallery VIREO
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Cypseloides
- Birds of Canada
- Birds of the United States
- Birds of Mexico
- Birds of the Caribbean
- Birds of the Greater Antilles
- Birds of the Lesser Antilles
- Birds of Dominica
- Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
- Birds of Guyana
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