Apus pacificus
The Fork-tailed Swift (Apus pacificus) is an aerial master, recognized by its sleek, sooty-black plumage contrasting sharply with a distinctive white rump patch and a paler throat. Measuring approximately 17-18 cm (6.7-7.1 in) in length with an impressive wingspan of 40-44 cm (15.7-17.3 in) and weighing 35-50 g (1.2-1.8 oz), its deeply forked tail, which gives the species its common name, and long, scythe-like wings are characteristic field marks. This species belongs to the family Apodidae, ...
Primarily found in open country, mountainous regions, and coastal cliffs, the Fork-tailed Swift thrives in aerial environments with access to insect prey, using rock faces, caves, and occasionally human structures for nesting.
Fork-tailed Swifts feed exclusively on aerial insects, including flies, beetles, moths, and aphids, caught primarily through continuous flight high in the air.
Fork-tailed Swifts are supremely aerial and diurnal, spending nearly their entire lives on the wing, potentially even roosting in flight during non-breeding periods, though nest crevices are used during nesting. They are obligate aerial insectivores, continuously hawking for flying insects at var...
The Fork-tailed Swift boasts an extensive distribution across Eurasia and Australasia. Its primary breeding range encompasses vast areas of East Asia, including eastern Siberia, Mongolia, much of China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan, extending westward into the Himalayas. These populations unde...
Least Concern
- The Fork-tailed Swift can spend months on end without landing, even eating, drinking, mating, and potentially sleeping while airborne. - They are among the fastest flying birds, capable of reaching speeds of over 100 km/h (60 mph) in level flight. - Their species name, *pacificus*, refers to th...