White-collared Swift
Encyclopedia
The White-collared Swift, Streptoprocne zonaris, is a resident breeding bird
from central Mexico
, the Greater Antilles
and Trinidad
south to Peru
, northern Argentina
and southeastern Brazil
.
This very large swift
builds a saucer nest of mud, moss and chitin
on a ledge in a cave, usually behind a waterfall
, and lays two white eggs between March and July. It breeds in the mountains and foothills, but forages over a much larger area, including lowlands.
White-collared Swift is a massive and powerful species, 20-22 cm (8-8.8 in) long, and weighing 90-125 g (3.2-4.5 oz.) It has a very slightly forked tail, which often appears square. The adults are black, glossed blue on the back, and have a white collar, broader and duller on the breast than the hindneck. Young birds are duller than adults, and the collar is reduced or absent. This noisy swift has a screeching chee-yar! call, which may be given in chorus by a flock
This is a highly gregarious species, with flocks of 100 or more birds, and often in company with other swift species. It has a powerful, fast and direct flight, and will ascend thermals to great heights.
White-collared Swift feeds in flight on flying insect
s, including beetle
s, bee
s and flying ant
s.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
from central Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the Greater Antilles
Greater Antilles
The Greater Antilles are one of three island groups in the Caribbean. Comprising Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico, the Greater Antilles constitute almost 90% of the land mass of the entire West Indies.-Greater Antilles in context :The islands of the Caribbean Sea, collectively known as...
and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
south to Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, northern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and southeastern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
This very large swift
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
builds a saucer nest of mud, moss and chitin
Chitin
Chitin n is a long-chain polymer of a N-acetylglucosamine, a derivative of glucose, and is found in many places throughout the natural world...
on a ledge in a cave, usually behind a waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
, and lays two white eggs between March and July. It breeds in the mountains and foothills, but forages over a much larger area, including lowlands.
White-collared Swift is a massive and powerful species, 20-22 cm (8-8.8 in) long, and weighing 90-125 g (3.2-4.5 oz.) It has a very slightly forked tail, which often appears square. The adults are black, glossed blue on the back, and have a white collar, broader and duller on the breast than the hindneck. Young birds are duller than adults, and the collar is reduced or absent. This noisy swift has a screeching chee-yar! call, which may be given in chorus by a flock
This is a highly gregarious species, with flocks of 100 or more birds, and often in company with other swift species. It has a powerful, fast and direct flight, and will ascend thermals to great heights.
White-collared Swift feeds in flight on flying insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, including beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s, bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s and flying ant
Ant
Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...
s.
External links
- White-collared Swift videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection