Cook's swift: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:48, 23 October 2018

Latest revision as of 08:12, 5 November 2022

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{{short description|Species of bird}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Cook's swift

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The '''Cook's swift''' ('''''Apus cooki''''') is a small [[bird]], superficially similar to a [[house martin]]. It is, however, completely unrelated to those [[passerine]] species, since [[Swift (bird)|swift]]s are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to [[convergent evolution]] reflecting similar life styles.

These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] απους, ''apous'', meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Blyth's swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.

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Cook's swifts breed in limestone caves of [[Thailand]], [[Myanmar]] and [[Indochina]]. The species has a green iridescence, a shallow tail fork and is a short distance migrant. A 2011 study has many taxonomists splitting this species from the [[fork-tailed swift]] complex.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Leader, P J. |year=2011|title= Taxonomy of the Pacific Swift Apus pacificus Latham, 1802, complex|journal= Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club |volume=131|pages=81–93}}</ref>

These swifts build their nests on cliffs, laying 2-32–3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary.

Cook's swifts are similar in size to [[common swift]], and they are black except for a white rump. They can be distinguished from a partially [[leucistic]] common swift by the deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head and larger white throat patch.

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{{Taxonbar|from=Q1268740}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:swift, Cook's}}

[[Category:Apus (genus)|Cook's swift]]

[[Category:Birds of Myanmar]]