Alpine Swift

Alpine Swift

Tachymarptis melba

Least Concern
Flügelspannweite
43,9 cm
Gewicht
97,5 g
Familie
Apodidae
Ordnung
Caprimulgiformes

Über uns

A large swift (20-22 cm, wingspan 54-60 cm) with a white belly and throat contrasting with dark brown upperparts. Found from southern Europe and Africa to Central Asia. Aerial insectivore, foraging at great heights. Nests on cliff faces in large colonies. Powerful, fast flier.

Physical Description

Measurement Value Imperial
Flügelspannweite 43,9 cm 17.3 in
Gewicht 97,5 g 3.44 oz

Identifizierung

Gefieder

Large; dark brown upperparts; white throat patch separated from white belly by dark brown breast band; brown flanks; bold tricoloured underpart pattern; one of Europe's largest swifts with distinctive white throat and belly.

Habitat & Range

Geografisches Verbreitungsgebiet

Breeds from southern Europe and North Africa east through Central Asia and the Himalayas to India. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

Diet & Feeding

Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal columns.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern
IUCN Red List

Verhalten & Brutverhalten

Nistverhalten

Nest type: SA. Incubation: 17-23 days. Fledging: 53-66 days.

Gelegegröße

1-4

Lautgebung

Gesang

Rapid series of short, clipped whistles; bright, clean notes delivered in quick succession with occasional doubled phrase.

Taxonomie

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Aves
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes (Nachtschwalben und Segler)
Familie Apodidae (Segler)
Genus Tachymarptis
Arten Tachymarptis melba

Distribution

Alpine Swift has been recorded in 3 countries.

{# Distribution Map — simplified SVG world map with highlighted countries. Expects `country_codes` variable: list of ISO alpha-2 codes (e.g. ["US", "CA", "MX"]). Uses Alpine.js to toggle classes on country paths. #}
Vorhanden Not recorded
{# Simplified country/region shapes — major landmasses with ISO alpha-2 data attributes. These are simplified polygon representations for visual distribution display. #}

countries highlighted

External Databases

Häufig gestellte Fragen

What does the Alpine Swift eat?
Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal columns.
Where does the Alpine Swift live?
Breeds from southern Europe and North Africa east through Central Asia and the Himalayas to India. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
Is the Alpine Swift endangered?
The Alpine Swift has a conservation status of Least Concern.
How does the Alpine Swift nest?
Nest type: SA. Incubation: 17-23 days. Fledging: 53-66 days.
What does the Alpine Swift sound like?
Rapid series of short, clipped whistles; bright, clean notes delivered in quick succession with occasional doubled phrase.
How big is the Alpine Swift?
The Alpine Swift has a wingspan of 43.9 cm, weight of 97.5 g.
What order and family does the Alpine Swift belong to?
The Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba) belongs to the order Caprimulgiformes and the family Apodidae.

Similar Birds

Other species in the Apodidae family

Vergleichen

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