Black Swift

In flight, this bird looks like a flying cigar with long slender curved wings. The plumage is mostly a sooty dark gray. There is some contrast between the upper and lower wing. The shoulders are much darker in color than the remaining portion of the wing. They also have short slightly forked tails.

The Black Swift is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Black Swift may be found in North America, the islands of the West Indies, Mexico and Africa. It is largely considered a seabird, spending most of its time on the sides of cliffs and waterfalls near the ocean for breeding and nesting purposes. When in flight, the Black Swift looks much like a cigar. They typically feed on flying insects, and travel in large groups. It is not clear where the groups migrate to during the winter months. More

Black Swift has an extensive range but within this range occurs in rather isolated pockets sometimes separated from each other by hundreds of miles. It is found from the Nearctic to Central America and in the West Indies. In North America, its breeding range extends from southeastern Alaska through northwestern and central British Colombia and southwestern Alberta south along the western coastal states to southern California, northwestern Montana, Colorado, central Utah, to north-central New Mexico. More

The Black Swift is one of most unusual, mysterious, and sought after birds in western North America. Since 2003, ABC and a variety of partners and numerous citizen volunteers have been conducting surveys to learn more about the nesting locations of this species to determine its status and conservation needs. The Black Swift is a small swallow-like bird with black plumage and long, relatively thin, scythe-shaped wings. More

As the name implies, Black Swifts are completely dark in appearance. A distinctly notched tail on the adult male is the only difference in appearance between the sexes. They have long, broad-based, and curved wings, similar to hummingbirds. The tail is square and often fanned. Juveniles are similar in appearance to adults, except for the small bands of white present across much of the underbody (neck, belly, and undertail coverts). The wingbeats are slow and shallow, often looking erratic in flight when foraging (Sibley 2000). More

American Black Swifts live on the wing, foraging in flight. They eat flying insects, primarily flying ants and beetles. They usually feed in groups, flying closely together. References - * BirdLife International (2004). Cypseloides niger. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. More

Black Swift is a widely dispersed migrant species of western North America. It is closely associated with rock cliffs near or behind waterfalls, where it builds nesting colonies. At least three colonies are currently known in New Mexico, although more may exist. More

The story of the Black Swift has all the components of a good mystery novel. It starts with a character description: a relatively small, sparrow-sized bird, with non-descript black plumage that lives in places that are often remote and inaccessible, that flies like a bullet, often at heights at the edge of our visibility, and that appears infrequently at its nesting site, often just as it is getting dark. More

In the summer breeding season, Black Swifts have a large distribution throughout North America. They can be found south to Central America, east to central Colorado, north to southeastern Alaska, and also in the West Indies. Despite this large range, prior to 2002 there were only about 80 known breeding sites for the species. Black Swifts typically breed near waterfalls or sea cliffs. More

North American RangeThe Black Swift is the largest of Washington's swifts. It has a streamlined body with long, narrow wings. Compared to Vaux's Swift, the Black Swift has a longer and broader tail, often held in a fan, and its wing beats are much slower. Adults are solid black with slightly lighter under-wings. Males have a notch in their tails. Juveniles have white scaling on their bellies. More

Black Swifts" and twenty Little Swifts appeared out of nowhere and began hawking over the centre of the city some distance from me. Many of the photos are highly-cropped and enhanced (hence the "noise" evident in the backgrounds) and unfortunately almost all of them were taken either almost into the sun or with the sun to one side of me which has burnt-out some of the finer details. More

The Black Swift is the most incompletely studied North American swift. The first nest of this species was not located until June 1901, when A. G. Vrooman collected a nest and its single white egg on a seacoast cliff near Santa Cruz, California (Vrooman 1901, Farrand 1990). This location and single-egg clutch, so unlike what was known for any other swift at the time, caused many people to feel Vrooman’s identification was incorrect and perhaps he had found the nest of a storm-petrel. More

The Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) is a long-distance neotropical migratory bird that breeds in western North America in close association with mountain waterfalls or sea-side cliffs (Knorr 1961, Foerster 1987, Dobkin 1994). Known breeding populations are disjunct and are associated with highly specialized habitat characteristics. Black Swifts are presumed to winter in South America, but the exact range is poorly known (C. Collins pers. comm.). More

Associated Species: Black Swift habitat is very specialized and there are no associated species. Distribution: Black Swifts breed in scattered colonies in North America, from southeast Alaska to central Mexico (Kingery 1998). They tend to be more common along the west coast states from Mexico north into Canada. Their range extends into Arizona and Colorado. More

Black Swift (Apus barbatus) perhaps 100 pairs nesting in crevices of the cliff face Nyanza Swift (A. More

Black Swift Magic Spot at Johnsondale Bridge... Click to show "Black Swift" result 3 240 x 189 56 kb Black Swift Magic Spot at Johnsondale Bridge... Click to show "Black Swift" result 4 500 x 500 92 kb Black Swift Cypseloides niger Focal length: 400 mm fStop:... More

BlackHawk 70GS01BK Black Swift Sling For M-16 = BlackHawk 70GS01BK Black Swift Sling For M-16 Click to enlarge Stock # Our Low Price: $39. More

"The Black Swifts were seen on several days at the Canopy Tower and I, at least, studied them carefully. The were definitely bigger than any of the Chaetura swifts, and with less stiff-winged flight, all black with a slightly notched tail. They were not big enough to be White-collared Swifts, and none had any white on the nape or breast. A few came low enough to confirm that they were not Chestnut-collared Swifts as they were entirely black on the throat and breast. More

African black swift, Milnerton Sewage Works, South Africa. African black swift, Luneberg, South Africa. Apus barbatus (African black swift, Black swift) African black swift, Milnerton Sewage Works, South Africa. The African black swift occurs in large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, with the bulk of its population in eastern as well as southern Africa. It feeds primarily on flying insects, often hunting in mixed species flocks, especially during termite alate emergences. More

Product Details Black Swift (Kelpies) by Josephine Pullein-Thompson (Paperback - Sept. 26, 1991)10 used from $2.35 2. Product Details Dream and Reality: The Modern Black Struggle for Freedom and Equality (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies) by Jeannine Swift (Hardcover - July 30, 1991)Buy new: $107.95 4 new from $93.774 used from $0.01 Get it by Tuesday, May 18 if you order in the next 35 hours and choose one-day shipping.Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping. 3. More

Black Swift Falls, the highest waterfall on the Big Sur Coast, located at Ragged Point. Ways to contact Ragged Point. Big Sur Waterfalls Google Map Beautiful Big Sur Waterfalls Google Map: all Famous Big Sur Waterfalls and waterfall trail locations on a custom Google Map; click to view Best Famous Big Sur Waterfalls Google Map Photo of the waterfall at the Ragged Point Inn when it is visible between the winter storms; seen here from the Ragged Point Inn nature trail close to Ragged Point Inn's private beach. More

DARPA Black Swift seeks to capitalize on lessons learned from NASP = By J.R. Wilson - ARLINGTON, Va.—Black Swift. Prior to the release of the President’s new budget proposal last February, it was largely rumor—most off the mark—and occasional brief references, usually followed by what amounted to “no comment” from the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va. Black Swift is a new joint effort by the DARPA and U.S. More

nesting Black Swifts at waterfalls! Your volunteer assistance will help us gather important information on the nesting status and population of one of the most unique and least-known birds in the avifauna of the Pacific Northwest. In 2004, with your assistance, we hope to continue a project started in 2003 in which over 100 volunteers visited approximately 70 waterfalls in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. More