American black swift

The American black swift, or more simply black swift (Cypseloides niger), is a species of bird that is found from northern British Columbia in Canada through the United States and Mexico to Costa Rica and Brazil.[2] They are also found in the Caribbean.[3]

American black swift
An adult on its nest in Shoshone County, Idaho
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae
Genus: Cypseloides
Species:
C. niger
Binomial name
Cypseloides niger
(Gmelin, 1789)
Range
  breeding visitor
  passage and vagrancy
  present year-round

(movements in South America are poorly known)

Distinctive features

In flight, these birds resemble a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is mostly a sooty, dark gray. There is some contrast between the inner and outer portions of the wing. The shoulders are distinctly darker in color than other parts of the wing. They have short tails that are slightly forked.

Foraging habits and diet

American black swifts live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying insects, primarily flying ants and beetles, often foraging in small groups.

Breeding habits and habitat

Their breeding habitat is frequently associated with water. The birds most often nest on high cliff faces, either above the ocean surf or behind or next to waterfalls. The nest is made of twigs and moss glued together with mud. They will also use ferns and seaweed if available. The clutch size is one egg, with incubation lasting 23–27 days. Newly hatched young are probably fed multiple times a day, but older nestlings usually only once a day by each parent, most often at dusk. Adults spend the night roosting at or near the nest site.

Movements

These birds migrate out of North America after the breeding season. It remains unclear where most of the birds spend the winter, although some of the birds have been tracked as far south as Brazil, migrating there from Colorado. Some of the birds in the West Indies appear to be permanent residents. They are late spring migrants into the breeding range, with Colorado breeders not arriving until the very end of May into June. Large flocks of migrants are occasionally seen spring and fall, but only very rarely far south of the U.S. breeding range.

Status and distribution

North America

Fewer than 150 black swift breeding sites are known in the United States, with 108 (as of July 2012) known from Colorado.[4] These include:

References
  1. BirdLife International (2018). "Cypseloides niger". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018. Retrieved 15 December 2018.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  2. Lofholm, Nancy (3 March 2012). "Birders take black swift mystery under their wing". The Denver Post.
  3. Wiggins, David A. (2004). "Black Swift (Cypseloides niger). A Technical Conservation Assessment" (PDF). USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region.
  4. Levad, Rich (2007). "The Coolest Bird" (PDF). The American Birding Association.
  5. Staff writers (2018-08-17). "Unofficial trail in 'secret cave' area of Johnston Canyon closed by Parks Canada to protect unique birds". CBC News. Retrieved 2018-08-19.
  6. "Ouray, Colorado: Birding". Ouray Chamber Resort Association.
  7. "Audubon IBAs: Hanging Lake". Archived from the original on 14 March 2012.
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