Family: Apodidae, Swifts view all from this family

Description 7-7 1/2" (18-19 cm). Size of a large swallow but with longer, sickle-shaped wings. All black, except whitish forehead, apparent at close range. Longish tail, slightly forked, often fanned. Feathers of immature edged with white.

Habitat Mountains and coastal cliffs; most frequently seen in the open sky.

Nesting 1 white egg in a moss, grass, and algae nest well hidden under a waterfall, on a protected sea cliff ledge, or on a canyon wall. Nests in colonies.

Range Breeds from southern Alaska south to southern California, Montana, and Colorado. Winters in tropics.

Voice   Less vocal than other swifts. Gives soft, high-pitched twitter: twit-twit-twit-twit.

Discussion Swifts, in general the most aerial of all land birds, feed on tiny airborne insects. On sunny days they fly high above the forest, but when the weather worsens they stay at lower altitudes, following the insects. During a summer storm of three or four days' chilling rain, flocks leave the nesting grounds and may fly hundreds of miles until they encounter favorable weather. After the storm they return in small groups to the nests. In their absence, the young survive without food, becoming torpid: cold, motionless, and barely breathing. Lower metabolism prevents starvation, thus allowing the young to be raised through alternating periods of plenty and shortage.