Alpine swift is a species of swift found in the mountains from southern Europe to the Himalayas. It is a large bird, with broad wings and a short. forked tail. Upper parts, head, tail and wings are olive brown, while its underbelly is white. It has a tiny beak but an extremely large mouth which helps in catching flying insects. Its diet consists of bees, wasps, lacewings, cicadas, aphids and butterflies. While in flight, It look like a boomerang.
Alpine swift known for graceful glides, swoops and soars. It can stay aloft without touching the ground for an extraordinarily long period of time. The Alpine swift has legs that are too short when compared to the body and won’t allow him to be able to take off from the ground, but it’s an excellent climber, capable of getting up a wall to the ideal height for gliding and flying. Six months of uninterrupted flight, never landing: this is how the Alpine swifts spend the entire wintering period in West Africa, it even manages to enjoy some form of sleep while continuing to soar in the air. Its flight can be fast and straight but also with rapid direction changes, usually carried out to look for the food it catches in flight.
Alpine swift build their nests in colonies in cliff hole or cave, laying two or three eggs and return to the same site year after year, and pair for life. Young swifts in the nest can drop their body temperature and become torpid if bad weather prevents their parents from bringing back food.
Credit : Avi Birds
Picture Credit : Google
