The plain swift (''Apus unicolor'') is a medium-sized
swift. Although this
bird is superficially similar to a
barn swallow or
house martin, it is not related to those
passerine species. The resemblances between the groups are due to
convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.
Swifts have very short legs that they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. They never settle voluntarily on the ground, and spend most of their lives in the air, feeding on
insects that they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing.
Plain swifts breed in colonies on cliffs, bridges and buildings on the
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...
and
Madeira
)
, anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira")
, song_type = Regional anthem
, image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg
, map_alt=Location of Madeira
, map_caption=Location of Madeira
, subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...
, laying two eggs in a saucer-shaped nest made of flowerheads glued with saliva. They are partially
migratory, with many birds leaving to winter in mainland
Africa. Until recently it was thought that the birds wintered on the African coast but recent studies suggest they travel much further to the equatorial forests of Liberia and Guinea, a distance of 2,600 kilometres. Small numbers are also believed to breed in Morocco between Agadir and Essaouira, where a colony was found on coastal cliffs and possibly also in Mauritania where there are frequent sightings
[ Norton, T., Atkinson, P., Hewson, C. & Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey, E. 2018]
Geolocator study reveals that Canarian Plain Swifts Apus unicolor winter in equatorial West Africa''African Bird Club''
& ''Sociedad Ornitologica Canaria''. 15 pp
This 14–15 cm long species is very similar to the closely related
common
Common may refer to:
Places
* Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland
* Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts
* Cambridge Common, common land area in Cambridge, Massachusetts
* Clapham Common, originally com ...
and
pallid swifts, which also occur in the archipelagos, and separation is only possible with good views. Like its relatives, it has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a
boomerang.
It is entirely dark except for an indistinct pale throat patch. It is slimmer and more rakish than the pallid swift, and is darker than that species and lacks the obvious white throat.
Distinguishing the plain swift from the similarly plumaged common swift is much more difficult, although juvenile common can be easily eliminated due to its white throat. The plain is slimmer and appears longer winged than the common, and has scaly underparts, difficult to see except with excellent views. The call is a loud dry scream similar to that of the common swift, though possibly higher pitched.
References
* ''Swifts'' by Chantler and Driessens,
External links
* Madeira Birds
Plain Swift
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1096617
Apus (genus)
Birds of the Canary Islands
Birds of Madeira
Birds described in 1830
Taxa named by Sir William Jardine