Black Swift

During the breeding season, the Black Swift is common throughout North America. Their extensive breeding range extends all the way to southeastern Alaska. You can find certain populations in the West Indies. Although this species of birds have an impressively extensive range, they have only around 200 nesting localities. Some of these localities have not been occupied in recent years. Most of these sites are around waterfalls and cliffs. Throughout this range, no region is abundantly populated by these birds.

About Black Swifts

Unfortunately, so far, the studies conducted on Black Swifts are mostly incomplete. In fact, they were not even located until 1901. The first man to locate these birds was an ornithologist named A.G. Vrooman. Upon locating this bird in California, Vrooman collected a Black Swift nest along with one egg in it. This nest should have proven the discovery of this bird, but many individuals believed that Vrooman’s identification was incorrect. As this egg was similar to a storm-petrel’s egg, other ornithologists refused to take him seriously. Until 1914, Vrooman’s discovery was not acknowledged.

We still have a lot to learn about this magnificent bird. It hasn’t been very long since we recognized the South American wintering range of these birds. Also, this has only been established for the North American breeders, we are still unsure what the wintering range for the West Indian and Central American breeders is.

Black Swifts have several features that make them stand out from several other birds. This includes their single-egg clutch, their unusually long incubation periods, and their extremely specific food habits. These habits are more characteristics of small procellariiform birds, not Swifts.

As nest sites of these birds are especially uncommon, researchers have shown a great amount of interest in these birds. Some ornithologists have dedicated their entire careers to finding nest sites of Black Swifts in certain states.
Don’t you want to know more about these birds? Let’s find out.

● Black Swifts Photos, Color Pattern, Song
● Black Swifts Size, Eating behavior, Habitat
● Black Swifts Range and Migration, Nesting

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Black Swift Color Pattern

Adult Black Swifts have a very distinctive plumage. The unique color and shape of this bird make it look like a flying cigar when it is in flight. Their nape and head are grayish-brown, or sooty. A Black Swift’s back is blackish, and the rest of their upper parts have a bluish gloss. Their wings and tails also have a bluish gloss. The throat and chin of Black Swifts are slightly lighter in color than the rest of the upper parts. The underparts of these birds are also dark sooty.

Description and Identification

Blacks Swifts are often easily differentiated from other similar species through their larger size. Black Swifts also have an all-black plumage that isn’t so common in other species. Vaux’s Swifts and Chimney Swifts share some similarities with Black Swifts, but they are considerably smaller in size.

White-throated Sparrows are also dark-colored birds, but they can be separated from Black Swifts through the white patches on their dark plumage. These birds are not as easily differentiated from other birds belonging to their genus. Especially in South and Central America, it can be particularly hard to correctly identify these birds. Although identification is difficult, it isn’t impossible.

Chestnut-collared Swifts can be distinguished through their square tail, and chestnut collar. They are also slightly smaller and are faster at flying. White-chinned Swifts also have square tails, shorter wings, and a distinctly fluttery
flight. Both, White-naped Swifts and White-collared Swift are significantly larger and heavier than Black Swifts.

It is possible that Black Swifts have echolocation abilities such as other cave-dwelling birds. This is just a hypothesis based on observations in which Black Swifts were seen vocalizing while returning to their breeding sites in the absence of light.

The vocalizations of these birds have not been studied in detail. You can’t usually hear these birds. As most of their breeding sites are located around waterfalls, the sound of falling water is constant. As a result of this, it is even harder to hear their vocalizations.

Black Swift Song

Black Swifts are mostly silent birds. On some occasions, you can hear them at their nest sites. Their vocalizations are mostly low-pitch and flat. They mostly begin as twittering chips a quick sequence of chips that becomes slower towards the end. Their pitch is even lower than the vocalizations of Chimney Swifts.

During aerial interactions, these birds produce a clicking vocalization. This vocalization also occurs when an individual Black Swift comes too close to another. Otherwise, in most cases, these birds are silent.

Another vocalization that these birds have is a sharp “cheet” which is when an adult is approaching the nest site when it is getting dark. This call is similar to a call produced by the American Dipper.

Black Swifts produce chatter-like notes during courtship. You can hear this sound when a pair fly close together, and also when one bird dashes into a bird of another gender.

Black Swift Size

Black Swifts are the largest Swifts that breed in North America. They are about 7 inches long, with an average weight of 1.5 ounces.

Black Swift Behavior

Flying is the primary means of locomotion for Black Swifts. They do not spend much of their time on the ground. The only instances in which they land are while roosting, or when they approach their nest. Black Swifts are excellent fliers that are very agile and fast in the air. Although Black Swifts don’t swim, they are often in contact with water, as they regularly travel through waterfalls, or thick mists to access their nest sites.

These birds spend most of their time in the air, it is obvious that they are aerial foragers. Roosting is an activity that these birds perform regularly during the night. Roosting sites are usually near the nest. They can be as close to 70 feet from the nest. Most Black Swifts leave their nests in the morning and return at sunset. Black Swifts have only two types of physical interactions. You can hear clashes and clicking sounds when a pair comes in contact with each other. The other kind of physical interactions is mostly aggressive encounters between male Black Swifts. This encounter might involve one male throwing another down by grabbing its tail. Before indulging in an aggressive physical encounter, Black Swifts perform a wing-raising display in an attempt to drive away from the intruder.

Black Swifts are not particularly territorial birds, they are very rarely aggressive. As suitable nest sites are not readily available, most nests are very close together. One of the reasons that these birds might not have a lot of competition for their nesting sites is that their habitat requirements are very unique. Their special habitat requirements also seem to be the limiting factor for their populations. These birds are monogamous in nature. Duration of pair bonds has not been researched in detail, but it is speculated that pairs stay together for a long period of time.

These birds have some courtship rituals that involve group and pair chases. Group chases usually involve a group of 3-6 males chasing one individual female. Chasing males usually make soft high-pitched sounds. These chases are mostly during the beginning of the breeding season.

By mid-breeding season, group chases become pair chases. By this time, a pair breaks off from the group and playfully chases each other by performing erratic maneuvers. These chases might serve the function of establishing a pair bond, or for the purpose of reinforcing it.

It is not defined where copulation occurs for these birds. Either it happens in mid-air, or in the nests. It is characteristic for most swifts to copulate in the nests, but one researcher named Gunn documented these birds for an entire season, but still did not find any pair copulating in the nest. Another ornithologist Foerster claims that he has witnessed two
Black Swifts copulating in the air.

These birds are always in close proximity to each other. During winter, they fly in flocks with more than a hundred individuals. Large flocks also forage. As adult Swifts are extremely agile and quick, very few predators are capable of hunting these birds. Their nest sites are also conveniently located in regions the predators can’t access. Other than sufficient cover due to rocks and inaccessible locations, their chicks are also camouflaged, adding another layer of protection. Some observed predators of Black Swifts are Merlins and Peregrine Falcons.

Black Swift Diet

Blacks Swifts are insectivorous birds that are especially fond of consuming winged reproductive ants during the breeding season. Other than insects they also consume arthropods. These birds are aerial foragers who like to forage at heights. If it is especially cold during the daytime, they might forage at lower elevations.

These birds can also store large quantities of food in their esophagus for their nestlings. As a result of this, they can travel long distances for foraging if their usual foraging sites are experiencing a shortage of ideal prey.

Black Swift Habitat

As we already know, Black Swifts are excellent at selecting their habitat. Although their habitat requirements are perhaps a limiting factor for their populations their specific habitats also allow them to thrive. As most of their breeding sites are located in areas like caves, waterfalls, and seacoast cliffs, they are completely inaccessible to terrestrial predators. These habitats also provide them with cool temperatures, shade, and high humidity.

Conveniently, for most Black Swifts, the foraging sites are very close to their breeding sites. They prefer forests and open areas. These birds can occur across a varied range.

Range and Migration

Black Swifts have a range that extends from British Columbia through the United States, and passes from Mexico, all the way to Brazil. Some populations also live in the Caribbean.

These birds are migratory in nature. They are either medium or long-distance migrants depending on their breeding regions. Their breeding grounds are mostly in the West Indies, and North and Central America, whereas their wintering grounds can be in most of South America.

Black Swift Lifecycle

Not much information is available about the lifecycle of these birds. One unique feature observed in them is the single egg they lay through the entire breeding season. This egg is 0.9-1.3 inches long, and it has a width that is approximately between 0.7-0.8 inches. The incubation period for this egg can last up to 30 days, and after this, the nestling takes about 45-50 days to fledge.

Nesting

Black Swifts nest in areas with high elevations that are inaccessible to terrestrial predators. One breeding region might be occupied by one breeding pair, or by several pairs, depending on the availability of nest sites.

These birds construct nests out of mud and moss. Most Swifts use their saliva as an adhesive to stick together the materials to build their nests, but Black Swifts do not display this behavior.

Anatomy of a Black Swift

Black Swifts are large birds with long, slender, curved wings. Their tails are short and forked.

Final Thoughts

Black Swifts are magnificent birds. Imagine being at height above them and just observing them in flight. It will be a truly fascinating event to sight a bird that looks like a cigar with wings while in flight. Sighting these birds will surely be a dream come true for many enthusiastic birdwatchers.

Ornithology

Bird Watching Academy & Camp Subscription Boxes

At the Bird Watching Academy & Camp we help kids, youth, and adults get excited and involved in bird watching. We have several monthly subscription boxes that you can subscribe to. Our monthly subscription boxes help kids, youth, and adults learn about birds, bird watching, and bird conservation.

Bird Watching Binoculars for IdentifyingBlack Swifts

The most common types of bird watching binoculars for viewing Black Swifts are 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. Bird Watching Academy & Camp sells really nice 8×21 binoculars and 10×42 binoculars. You can view and purchase them here.

Black Swift Stickers

Stickers are a great way for you to display your love for bird watching and the Black Swift. We sell a monthly subscription sticker pack. The sticker packs have 12 bird stickers. These sticker packs will help your kids learn new birds every month.

Bird Feeders ForBlack Swifts

There are many types of bird feeders. Bird feeders are a great addition to your backyard. Bird feeders will increase the chances of attracting birds drastically. Both kids and adults will have a great time watching birds eat at these bird feeders. There are a wide variety of bird feeders on the market and it is important to find the best fit for you and your backyard.

Bird Houses ForBlack Swifts

There are many types of bird houses. Building a bird house is always fun but can be frustrating. Getting a bird house for kids to watch birds grow is always fun. If you spend a little extra money on bird houses, it will be well worth every penny and they’ll look great.