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Swifts

Swifts are a family of highly aerial birds known as Apodidae, which reside within the Apodiformes order alongside hummingbirds. They resemble swallows due to convergent evolution, as both hunt insects on the fly, but they are not closely related. Swifts have small, weak legs, which led to them sometimes being depicted without feet historically. Their classification is complex, with some fossil evidence suggesting they appeared during the Eocene period. There are about 100 species of swifts, which are known for their high speeds, with the white-throated needletail reaching up to 169 km/h. They have elongated wingtip bones and the ability to rotate their wings from the base, which aids in their maneuverability and efficiency in flight. Swiftlets have evolved a form of echolocation to navigate dark caves. These birds are found worldwide except in the extremes of the polar, desert, and some oceanic islands, and migratory swifts travel from temperate regions to the tropics in winter. Their nests, often attached to vertical surfaces with saliva or located in wall cavities, are unique—some are used in the traditional bird's nest soup. Swifts are insectivores, hunting mid-flight, and their breeding and development patterns are more similar to seabirds than passerines. While no swift species has been recorded as extinct since 1600, some are considered endangered or vulnerable due to factors including habitat loss and overharvesting of their nests by humans for culinary purposes.

Regions

A photo of a African Palm Swift (Cypsiurus parvus)

African Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus
A photo of a Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba)

Alpine Swift

Tachymarptis melba
A photo of a Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica
A photo of a Little Swift (Apus affinis)

Little Swift

Apus affinis
A photo of a Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Pallid Swift

Apus pallidus

Plain Swift

Apus unicolor
A photo of a Swift (Apus apus)

Swift

Apus apus
A photo of a White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer)

White-rumped Swift

Apus caffer
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Marlster24
Recommend for any bird watcher
Very wholesome app: I joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😃
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Very Wholesome App
Joined this app with a new interest in watching birds to help me find out what I was spotting. The community is very active in helping identify birds which is great and everyone is very kind so it’s just a nice wholesome community. I would definitely recommend this for any bird spotter 😄
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Great bird recording
For a while I’ve been trying to find an app to easily record bird lists and day out and struggled to find one that I like. Birda is great for this, straightforward and a great community!
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Friendly and helps to identify birds
Great birding app, good for logging your sightings, also has nice species guide. I'm enjoying the social aspect more than I expected, everyone seems friendly and helps to identify unknown birds. Good mix of newbies and experienced users.
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