Ajay..
Life on the wing
Asian Palm-swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) in Kattur, Near Chennai
If there is ever an impressive family of birds, Swifts it is! Extremely fast flying and super difficult to take a pic of.
They are of the family named Apodidae, an ancient group that probably separated from all other birds in the Tertiary period (65 million years ago) or even the Cretaceous (70 mya). For perspective, Archaeopteryx (a genus of bird-like dinosaurs that is transitional between non-avian feathered dinosaurs and modern birds) was 150 mya, and Tyrannosaurus died out about the same time as the Apodidae separated! All birds have fleas and feather lice or similar parasites. However the parasites in swifts are so different to those of other species that it supports the fact that they separated from other bird species a very long time ago. Their parasites have evolved with them.(Source:RSPB)
Swifts are the fastest birds in level flight, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h (recorded.Believed to be capable of much more). Arguably the most aerial of birds, they spend their life almost entirely on the wing. These spend up to NINE MONTHS aloft outside the breeding season. The swift performs most activities on the wing, including feeding, preening, drinking, sleeping and mating (not always - sometimes observed mating in the nests). It lands only to roost.
Life on the wing
Asian Palm-swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) in Kattur, Near Chennai
If there is ever an impressive family of birds, Swifts it is! Extremely fast flying and super difficult to take a pic of.
They are of the family named Apodidae, an ancient group that probably separated from all other birds in the Tertiary period (65 million years ago) or even the Cretaceous (70 mya). For perspective, Archaeopteryx (a genus of bird-like dinosaurs that is transitional between non-avian feathered dinosaurs and modern birds) was 150 mya, and Tyrannosaurus died out about the same time as the Apodidae separated! All birds have fleas and feather lice or similar parasites. However the parasites in swifts are so different to those of other species that it supports the fact that they separated from other bird species a very long time ago. Their parasites have evolved with them.(Source:RSPB)
Swifts are the fastest birds in level flight, reaching speeds of up to 110 km/h (recorded.Believed to be capable of much more). Arguably the most aerial of birds, they spend their life almost entirely on the wing. These spend up to NINE MONTHS aloft outside the breeding season. The swift performs most activities on the wing, including feeding, preening, drinking, sleeping and mating (not always - sometimes observed mating in the nests). It lands only to roost.