From Opus

Photo by Glen Tepke
McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, Shasta County, California, USA, 5 July 2008

Cypseloides niger

[edit] Identification

A fairly large (15-18 cm in the nominate form of West Indies) black swift with slightly forked and relatively long tail. At close range, white on forehead and brows may be visible. The body is rather stocky, the wings relatively broad.

[edit] Distribution

Photo by Glen Tepke
juvenile, McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, Shasta County, California, USA, 5 July 2008

The Black Swift is distributed from SE Alaska through SW USA, and Mexico to Costa Rica, and in the West Indies to Trinidad and Tobago to Guyana. Even southern populations (e.g., in the Lesser Antilles) are migratory, presumably wintering in South America, while the species is present year round in Hispaniola and Jamaica.
A highly migratory species, but the definitive wintering grounds are still unknown. Recorded in winter in Colombia.
Not globally threatened, abundant in parts of its range, uncommon in others.

[edit] Taxonomy

Forms a superspecies with White-chested Swift, Rothschild's Swift and Sooty Swift.
It's considered to have three subspecies:

• C.n. borealis from the SW USA north over W Canada to Alaska, larger than other subspecies
• C.n. costaricensis from C Mexico to Costa Rica, smaller and darker than borealis
• C.n. niger from Trinidad to the West Indies

[edit] Habitat

In the north of its range in a variety of open highland habitat. In the south around montane evergreen forest, also secondary growth. In eastern Caribbean, they often seem absent in good weather due to hunting very high, but in bad weather may hunt all the way down to sea level.

[edit] Behaviour

Like other Swifts highly gregarious, sometimes seen in flocks numbering hundreds or thousands of birds, often together with other Swift species. May travel long distances between nestplaces and feeding grounds.

[edit] Diet

Feeds on various insects, eg. wasps, bees or ants, taken in flight.

[edit] Breeding

Nests in June in the USA, earlier (May) in the south. Often near waterfalls. Needs darkness, water, inaccessibility, a good flyway, high relief and a rock niche to build its pad of moss and twigs, bound with mud. Lays one egg. Copulation takes place in flight, like in other Swift species.

[edit] External Links