Black Swift

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Black Swift
Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Sailor birds (Apodiformes)
Family : Sailors (Apodidae)
Genre : Apus
Type : Black Swift
Scientific name
Apus batesi
( Sharpe , 1904)

The black swift ( Apus batesi ) is a species of bird from the family of the sailors (Apodidae). It is a small, unusual representative of the genus Apus , its slim shape with the deeply forked tail possibly comes closest to the Cape Swift .

The black swift occurs mainly in West Africa and is rarely found in large parts of the range. Compared to the related species, the black swift is less gregarious and does not breed in colonies; individual birds or small groups are often sighted, and occasionally up to 30 individuals.

description

With a body length of 14 centimeters and a wing length between 122 and 132 millimeters, the black swift is significantly smaller than the common swift . He is an unusual representative of the genus Apus and cannot be assigned to any of the subgroups of the genus. Its slender shape with the deeply forked tail is possibly the closest thing to the Cape Swift . The plumage is very dark and the black swift has the most uniform coloring of all Apus species. Such an indistinct throat spot only has the single-color sailor . A characteristic of the Moorish sailor is the consistently fast flight with high-frequency wing flapping and occasional short gliding phases.

Both sexes look the same. There is no information about the utterances.

distribution

The occurrence of the black swift is almost exclusively limited to West Africa . There it occurs in western Cameroon and in adjacent areas in northern Gabon . It is widespread, but very rare, in Liberia . There are also scattered sightings in many West African countries between Sierra Leone and Nigeria . In Central Africa, the Black Swift occurs in the Central African Republic , as well as in the Kivu region and in the Semliki Valley in the Democratic Republic of the Congo .

The black swift is considered rare in almost the entire range, with the exception of the highlands of Cameroon, where the species can be seen regularly in places. The total size of the distribution area is estimated at 81,000 square kilometers. The black swift is considered to be a resident bird everywhere .

habitat

The habitat of the black swift is predominantly the hilly part of the tropical rainforest , especially areas with rocky sections. In the north of Liberia it is found at altitudes from 500 to 1500 meters. It is believed that the black swift is restricted to areas where swallows are found, especially bronze terns ( Petrochelidon fuliginosa ), in whose abandoned nests the black swift breeds.

Reproduction

The breeding season in Cameroon is in May and June, in Gabon between September and March and in Liberia in March and possibly also in January. The black swift does not breed in colonies and takes over nests of other species, for example the bronze tern ( Petrochelidon fuliginosa ), the baoba swift ( Telacanthura ussheri ) or possibly the maiden swallow ( Cecropis abyssinica ).

The interior of the clay nest is padded with feathers and plant material and glued with saliva. The clutch consists of two eggs, the size of which is approximately 22 x 14.5 millimeters.

Systematics

The black swift is not assigned to any of the superspecies of the genus Apus . No subspecies are distinguished.

literature

  • Phil Chantler, Gerald Driessens: A Guide to the Swifts and Tree Swifts of the World . Pica Press, Mountfield 2000, ISBN 1-873403-83-6
  • del Hoyo, Elliot, Sargatal (Eds.): Handbook of the Birds of the World . Volume 5: Barn-Owls to Hummingbirds . Lynx Edicions, 1999, ISBN 84-87334-25-3

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ This and all information not specially marked are taken from the following source: Chantler, Driessens: A Guide to the Swifts and Tree Swifts of the World . Page 248f, see literature
  2. ↑ BirdLife International: Species Factsheet - Bates's Swift ( Apus batesi )

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