Treeswift
Encyclopedia
The treeswifts or crested swifts are a family
, Hemiprocnidae, of aerial near passerine
bird
s, closely related to the true swifts
. The family contains a single genus
, Hemiprocne, with four species. They are distributed from India
and South East Asia through Indonesia
to New Guinea
and the Solomon Islands
.
Treeswifts are small to medium sized swifts, ranging in length from 15–30 cm. They have long wings, with most of the length coming from the length of the primaries
; their arms are actually quite short. They visibly differ from the other swifts in matters of plumage
, which is softer, and they have crests or other facial ornaments, and long forked tails. Anatomically they are separated from the true swifts by skeletal details in the cranium and palate, the anatomy of the tarsus, and a non-reversible hind toe which is used for perching on branches (an activity that true swifts are unable to engage in). The males have iridescent mantle plumage.
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The treeswifts exhibit a wide range of habitat preferences. One species, the Whiskered Treeswift
, is a species of primary forest. Highly manoeuvrable, it feeds close to vegetation beneath the canopy, and only rarely ventures into secondary forests or plantations, but never over open ground. Other species are less restricted; the Crested Treeswift
makes use of a range of habitats including humid forests and deciduous woodland, and the Grey-rumped Treeswift
utilises occupies almost every habitat type available from the mangrove
forests to hill forests. All species feed on insects, although exact details of what prey are taken has not been studied in detail.
Nest building responsibilities are shared by the male and female. They lay one egg
in the nest, which is glued to an open tree branch. Egg colour varies from white to grey. There is little information about incubation
times, but they are thought to be longer for the larger species. Chicks are born with a covering of grey down and are fed a bolus of regurgitated food by the parents.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
, Hemiprocnidae, of aerial near passerine
Near passerine
Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod All near passerines are land birds...
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, closely related to the true swifts
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...
. The family contains a single genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Hemiprocne, with four species. They are distributed from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and South East Asia through Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
.
Treeswifts are small to medium sized swifts, ranging in length from 15–30 cm. They have long wings, with most of the length coming from the length of the primaries
Flight feather
Flight feathers are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges while those on the tail are called rectrices . Their primary function is to aid in the generation of both thrust and lift, thereby...
; their arms are actually quite short. They visibly differ from the other swifts in matters of plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
, which is softer, and they have crests or other facial ornaments, and long forked tails. Anatomically they are separated from the true swifts by skeletal details in the cranium and palate, the anatomy of the tarsus, and a non-reversible hind toe which is used for perching on branches (an activity that true swifts are unable to engage in). The males have iridescent mantle plumage.
Whiskered Treeswift
The Whiskered Treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
, is a species of primary forest. Highly manoeuvrable, it feeds close to vegetation beneath the canopy, and only rarely ventures into secondary forests or plantations, but never over open ground. Other species are less restricted; the Crested Treeswift
Crested Treeswift
The Crested Treeswift is a kind of tree swift. The tree swifts are aerial near passerine birds, closely related to, but distinct from the true swifts. They are restricted to southeast Asia and Australasia....
makes use of a range of habitats including humid forests and deciduous woodland, and the Grey-rumped Treeswift
Grey-rumped Treeswift
The Grey-rumped Treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
utilises occupies almost every habitat type available from the mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
forests to hill forests. All species feed on insects, although exact details of what prey are taken has not been studied in detail.
Nest building responsibilities are shared by the male and female. They lay one egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
in the nest, which is glued to an open tree branch. Egg colour varies from white to grey. There is little information about incubation
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
times, but they are thought to be longer for the larger species. Chicks are born with a covering of grey down and are fed a bolus of regurgitated food by the parents.
Species
- Crested TreeswiftCrested TreeswiftThe Crested Treeswift is a kind of tree swift. The tree swifts are aerial near passerine birds, closely related to, but distinct from the true swifts. They are restricted to southeast Asia and Australasia....
, Hemiprocne coronata - Grey-rumped TreeswiftGrey-rumped TreeswiftThe Grey-rumped Treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family.It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Hemiprocne longipennis - Whiskered TreeswiftWhiskered TreeswiftThe Whiskered Treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand....
, Hemiprocne comata - Moustached TreeswiftMoustached TreeswiftThe Moustached Treeswift is a species of bird in the Hemiprocnidae family.It is found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Solomon Islands....
, Hemiprocne mystacea