- Vaux's Swift
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Vaux's Swift 
Flock swirling into a 1920s elementary school chimney to roost for the night. Conservation status Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae Genus: Chaetura Species: C. vauxi Binomial name Chaetura vauxi
(Townsend, 1839)Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi) is a small swift native to North America and northern South America. It was named for the American scientist William Sansom Vaux.
Contents
Description
This is a small swift, even compared to other Chaetura species, at 10.7 to 11.2 cm long and weighing 18 g. The northern populations are slightly larger at 11.5 cm, probably according to the Bergmann's Rule, and/or migration requirements. It has a cigar-shaped body, crescentic wings and a short bluntly squared-off tail. The head, upperparts and wings are dusky black, and the underparts, rump and tail coverts are greyish brown. The throat is paler grey, becoming whitish in northern birds. The sexes are similar, but juveniles have dusky bases to the throat feathers.
Distribution
Vaux's Swift breeds in highlands from southern Alaska to central California and from southern Mexico, the northern Yucatán Peninsula, to eastern Panama and northern Venezuela. The United States' populations are migratory, wintering from central Mexico south through the Central American breeding range. The resident breeding birds in the southern part of the range are sometimes considered a separate species, Dusky-backed Swift, Chaetura richmondi.
Behaviour
This is a gregarious species, with flocks of 30 or more birds, and often with other swift species, such as White-collared, especially at weather fronts. It flies with a mixture of stiff wing-beats and unsteady glides. It has more varied calls than others in the genus, with a mixture of chattering, buzzes, squeaks and chips.
Feeding
The swift feeds in flight on flying insects, including beetles, wasps, termites and flying ants. It forages over forests and more open areas, including towns.
Breeding
Vaux's Swift breeds in the mountains and foothills, mainly above 700 m. It builds a cup nest of twigs and saliva on a vertical surface in a dark cavity, such as a tree hole, cliff crevice or attic. It lays three white eggs between March and July.
Habitat Vaux's Swift: Breeds from southeastern Alaska and Montana to central California. Spends winters in the tropics. Preferred habitats include old growth coniferous or deciduous forests consisting of coniferous and deciduous vegetation; requires large, hollow trees for nesting.
External links
- Vaux's Swift photo, Article Umatilla County, Oregon
- Article & RangeMaps InfoNatura NatureServe
- Vaux's Swift photo gallery VIREO
References
- BirdLife International (2006). Chaetura vauxi. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
- Chantler and Driessens, Swifts ISBN 1-873403-83-6
- Hilty, Birds of Venezuela, ISBN 0-7136-6418-5
- Stiles and Skutch, A guide to the birds of Costa Rica ISBN 0-8014-9600-4
Categories:- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Chaetura
- Birds of North America
- Birds of the United States
- Native birds of the Northwestern United States
- Birds of the U.S. Sierra Nevada
- Birds of Canada
- Birds of Central America
- Birds of the Yucatán Peninsula region
- Birds of Mexico
- Native birds of Southern Mexico
- Birds of Venezuela
- Western North American migratory birds
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