We all know about the existence of swifts and swallows. These birds fill the sky above our houses with joyful spring noise and, not being afraid of people, settle nearby. Can you easily distinguish between them? After all, they are so similar in appearance and lifestyle. Let's take a closer look at these birds.
What is the difference between swifts and swallows. Appearance
To begin with, these birds belong to different orders: swifts are representatives of the order of long-winged or swift-shaped, and swallows are the order of passerines.
If you look carefully at the photo of the swallows, you can see that they have black plumage with a bluish tint and a white or beige breast. The head of the swallow is decorated with a red-brown mark above and below the beak.
Swifts of feathers have a greenish tint, and there is a small white speck on the throat. Swifts are larger than swallows and their wings are longer, narrower, similar in shape to a sickle, and in flight - like a tightly bowed bow.
What is the difference between swifts and swallows. Flying abilities
Swifts are swift birds. In the air they reach speeds of up to 150 km / h. While the swallow it does not exceed 60 km / h. A swift, as a rule, flies in a straight line very quickly, sharply and can dive into a nest without reducing speed.
Another feature of the swift - in flight, he never folds his wings. By the way, in the air, these birds almost all the time scream piercingly. A swallow is a master of air pirouettes and unexpected turns. In flight, she is silent, and on vacation, her singing is melodic, ending with a pleasant trill.
Swift surprises with his ability to fly non-stop: he eats, sleeps, drinks and even mates in the air. Just imagine, a young swift flies up to 500, 000 km before sitting down for the first time to rest!
The shape of the legs is a special sign of a swift
Swifts, photos of which you see here, unlike swallows, never land on the ground. The shape of the legs is to blame. They are unusual in this bird: all four fingers with sharp, tenacious claws are extended forward, while the swallow has three fingers extended forward and one finger backward.
Thanks to this, the swallow can easily sit on the ground and move on it, and also, like many other birds, relax on the crossbeams, branches or poles. You probably saw birds sitting on wires with long bifurcated tails. These are swallows.
But the swift can, with its sharp, curved claws on short legs, catch on the slightest ledge on a wall, tree or other vertical surface and climb on it, resting on a firm tail.
What is the difference between swifts and swallows. Nesting method
Everyone saw a wonderful work of building art - a swallow’s nest molded from clay or earth. But swifts do not build nests. Any hole, slot, hollow or alien nest is suitable for them to breed offspring. Occupying them, the swift launches its predatory claws and regains living space from sparrows, swallows, and even starlings, which are twice as large as any of these “warriors”.
Now you can probably answer without hesitation how swifts differ from swallows. But there is something that makes them related: both of them are amazing creations of nature that bring warmth, spring and joy on wings.
