Birds Guide

Swifts
Chimney Swift
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Apodiformes   Family: Apodidae Hartert, 1897
Genera
Many; see text.

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.

The resemblances between the swifts and swallows are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles based on catching insects in flight.

The family scientific name comes from the 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 tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic martlet.

Swifts are the most aerial of birds and some, like the Common Swift, even sleep and mate on the wing. Larger species, such as white-throated needletail, are amongst the fastest flyers in the animal kingdom. One group, the Swiftlets or Cave Swiftlets have developed a form of echolocation for navigating through dark cave systems where they roost. One species, Aerodramus papuensis has recently been discovered to use this navigation at night outside its cave roost also.

Like swallows and martins, the swifts of temperate regions are strongly migratory and winter in the tropics.

Many swifts have a characteristic shape, with a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The flight of some species is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows.

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.

Systematics and evolution

The treeswifts are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae.

In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, the old order Apodiformes is split. Swifts remain in that order, but hummingbirds are put into a new order, Trochiliformes. This might be correct, but further research on the interrelationships and evolutionary history of the Apodiformes is necessary.

The taxonomy of this group is in general complicated, with genus and species boundaries widely disputed, especially amongst the swiftlets. 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., 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). A prehistoric genus sometimes assigned to the swifts, Primapus (Early Eocene of England), might also be a more distant ancestor.

Species list: Family Apodidae

Tribe Cypseloidini

• Genus Cypseloides
  • Chestnut-collared Swift, Cypseloides rutilus
    Tepui Swift, Cypseloides phelpsi
    Black Swift, Cypseloides niger
    White-chested Swift, Cypseloides lemosi
    Rothschild's Swift, Cypseloides rothschildi
    Sooty Swift, Cypseloides fumigatus
    Spot-fronted Swift, Cypseloides cherriei
    White-chinned Swift, Cypseloides cryptus
    White-fronted Swift, Cypseloides storeri
    Great Dusky Swift, Cypseloides senex

• Genus Streptoprocne
  • White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris
    Biscutate Swift, Streptoprocne biscutata
    White-naped Swift, Streptoprocne semicollaris

Tribe Collocaliini - swiftlets

• Genus Collocalia
  • Glossy Swiftlet, Collocalia esculenta
    • Grey-rumped Swiftlet, Collocalia (esculenta) marginata
  • Cave Swiftlet, Collocalia linchi
    Pygmy Swiftlet, Collocalia troglodytes

• Genus Aerodramus
  • Seychelles Swiftlet, Aerodramus elaphrus
    Mascarene Swiftlet, Aerodramus francicus
    Indian Swiftlet, Aerodramus unicolor
    Philippine Swiftlet, Aerodramus mearnsi
    Moluccan Swiftlet, Aerodramus infuscatus
    Mountain Swiftlet, Aerodramus hirundinaceus
    White-rumped Swiftlet, Aerodramus spodiopygius
    Australian Swiftlet, Aerodramus terraereginae
    Himalayan Swiftlet, Aerodramus brevirostris
    Indochinese Swiftlet, Aerodramus rogersi
    Volcano Swiftlet, Aerodramus vulcanorum
    Whitehead's Swiftlet, Aerodramus whiteheadi
    Bare-legged Swiftlet, Aerodramus nuditarsus
    Mayr's Swiftlet, Aerodramus orientalis
    Palawan Swiftlet, Aerodramus palawanensis
    Mossy-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus salangana
    Uniform Swiftlet, Aerodramus vanikorensis
    Palau Swiftlet, Aerodramus pelewensis
    Guam Swiftlet, Aerodramus bartschi
    Caroline Islands Swiftlet, Aerodramus inquietus
    Mangaia Swiftlet, Aerodramus manuoi (prehistoric)
    Atiu Swiftlet, Aerodramus sawtelli
    Polynesian Swiftlet, Aerodramus leucophaeus
    Marquesan Swiftlet, Aerodramus ocistus
    Black-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus maximus
    Edible-nest Swiftlet, Aerodramus fuciphagus
    German's Swiftlet, Aerodramus germani
    Papuan Swiftlet, Aerodramus papuensis (probably a distinct genus)

• Genus Hydrochous
  • Waterfall Swift, Hydrochous gigas

• Genus Schoutedenapus
  • Scarce Swift, Schoutedenapus myoptilus
    Schouteden's Swift, Schoutedenapus schoutedeni

Tribe Chaeturini - needletails

• Genus Mearnsia
  • Philippine Spinetail, Mearnsia picina
    Papuan Spinetail, Mearnsia novaeguineae

• Genus Zoonavena
  • Malagasy Spinetail, Zoonavena grandidieri
    Sao Tome Spinetail, Zoonavena thomensis
    White-rumped Needletail, Zoonavena sylvatica

• Genus Telacanthura
  • Mottled Spinetail, Telacanthura ussheri
    Black Spinetail, Telacanthura melanopygia

• Genus Rhaphidura
  • Silver-rumped Needletail, Rhaphidura leucopygialis
    Sabine's Spinetail, Rhaphidura sabini

• Genus Neafrapus
  • Cassin's Spinetail, Neafrapus cassini
    Bat-like Spinetail, Neafrapus boehmi

• Genus Hirundapus
  • White-throated Needletail, Hirundapus caudacutus
    Silver-backed Needletail, Hirundapus cochinchinensis
    Brown-backed Needletail, Hirundapus giganteus
    Purple Needletail, Hirundapus celebensis

• Genus Chaetura
  • Band-rumped Swift, Chaetura spinicauda
    Lesser Antillean Swift, Chaetura martinica
    Gray-rumped Swift, Chaetura cinereiventris
    Pale-rumped Swift, Chaetura egregia
    Chimney Swift, Chaetura pelagica
    Vaux's Swift, Chaetura vauxi
    Chapman's Swift, Chaetura chapmani
    Short-tailed Swift, Chaetura brachyura
    Ashy-tailed Swift, Chaetura andrei

Tribe Apodini - typical swifts

• Genus Aeronautes
  • White-throated Swift, Aeronautes saxatalis
    White-tipped Swift, Aeronautes montivagus
    Andean Swift, Aeronautes andecolus

• Genus Tachornis
  • Tachornis uranoceles (fossil; Late Pleistocene of Puerto Rico)
  • Antillean Palm Swift, Tachornis phoenicobia
    Pygmy Swift, Tachornis furcata
    Fork-tailed Palm Swift, Tachornis squamata

• Genus Panyptila
  • Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift, Panyptila cayennensis
    Great Swallow-tailed Swift, Panyptila sanctihieronymi

• Genus Cypsiurus
  • Asian Palm Swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis
    African Palm Swift, Cypsiurus parvus

• Genus Apus
  • Apus gaillardi (fossil)
  • Apus wetmorei (fossil)
  • Alpine Swift, Apus melba
    Mottled Swift, Apus aequatorialis
    Alexander's Swift, Apus alexandri
    Common Swift, Apus apus
    Plain Swift, Apus unicolor
    Nyanza Swift, Apus niansae
    Pallid Swift, Apus pallidus
    African Swift, Apus barbatus
    Forbes-Watson's Swift, Apus berliozi
    Bradfield's Swift, Apus bradfieldi
    Madagascar Swift, Apus balstoni
    Pacific Swift, Apus pacificus
    Dark-rumped Swift, Apus acuticauda
    Little Swift, Apus affinis
    House Swift, Apus nipalensis
    Horus Swift, Apus horus
    White-rumped Swift, Apus caffer
    Bates' Swift Apus batesi

References

• Chantler, Phil & Driessens, Gerald (2000): Swifts : a guide to the swifts and treeswifts of the world. Pica Press, Mountfield, East Sussex. ISBN 1-873403-83-6

• Thomassen, Henri A.; Tex, Robert-Jan; Bakker, Merijn A.G. & Povel, G. David E. (2005): Phylogenetic relationships amongst swifts and swiftlets: A multi locus approach. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 37(1): 264-277. DOI:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.010 (HTML abstract)