Cypsiurus
Encyclopedia
Cypsiurus is a genus of the swift
family of bird
s.
There are two species
These very similar species were formerly considered to be conspecific.
They have mainly pale brown plumage and long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang
. The body is slender, and the tail is long and deeply forked, although it is usually held closed. The sexes are similar, and young birds differ from adults mainly in their shorter tails. Palm Swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces, since swifts never settle voluntarily on the ground.
These swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on flying insects. Palm swifts often feed near the ground, and they drink on the wing.
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
family of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s.
There are two species
- Asian Palm SwiftAsian Palm SwiftThe Asian Palm Swift is a small swift. It is very similar to the African Palm Swift, Cypsiurus parvus, and was formerly considered to be the same species....
, Cypsiurus balasiensis - African Palm SwiftAfrican Palm SwiftThe African Palm Swift is a small swift. It is very similar to the Asian Palm Swift, Cypsiurus balasiensis, and was formerly considered to be the same species....
, Cypsiurus parvus
These very similar species were formerly considered to be conspecific.
They have mainly pale brown plumage and long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang
Boomerang
A boomerang is a flying tool with a curved shape used as a weapon or for sport.-Description:A boomerang is usually thought of as a wooden device, although historically boomerang-like devices have also been made from bones. Modern boomerangs used for sport are often made from carbon fibre-reinforced...
. The body is slender, and the tail is long and deeply forked, although it is usually held closed. The sexes are similar, and young birds differ from adults mainly in their shorter tails. Palm Swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces, since swifts never settle voluntarily on the ground.
These swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on flying insects. Palm swifts often feed near the ground, and they drink on the wing.