Swifts are a group of birds that are, as their name suggest, very swift. Indeed, they can cover 100 miles in one hour or a speed of 160 km/hr. With scythe-like wings, they dart across the sky at speeds that make it very difficult to study let alone photograph. And it can take a very long time to have a shot of them. This species has a typical chattering call that speaks of its presence high up above the sky and before one is able to spot.

A majority of swifts are not as patterned as their other colleagues in this order. These species are highly migratory in nature

Physical characteristics of swifts
Swifts are aerial birds that spend a lot of time in the air. They do almost everything in the air-mate, sleep and even feed while flying in air. It is thought the strong breast muscles and the long, large and narrow wings that they have are responsible for their being powerful flyers. They are always up there in the sky because they also have small feet that cannot enable them to walk. When on the ground, they lack the ability to take off quickly and fly. As result of this, they tend to land only on tall trees or structures like chimneys. They have four strong toes on each foot that help them cling on the surfaces they land on.

The swifts measure about 9 to 25 cm from tail to head and can weigh from 5 to 205 grams. Although it is possible to find that some of these birds have blue and brown coloration, a majority of them have black feathers. Some of these birds have white rumps, bellies and chests while the male and female ones have the same kind of plumage.

They have narrow bodies that broaden towards the head culminating in a large head that has large eyes. Its gape is large but the bill is short. The gape, which can be as large as the head of the bird, enables the bird to catch and swallow the food while in flight.

Reproduction and behavior
Swifts are naturally noisy animals that are found in large groups called colonies. They are most active at dawn. Some of the e species migrate in a bid to evade harsh winter climate and lack of food. They normally move to areas that are warmer and also have plentiful supplies of food.

They exhibit monogamous tendencies by mating strictly with one partner. They make their nests from the twigs, feathers, and other items that they may find in the course of their flight. Like other birds, they use the saliva to hold the materials of the nest together. The female swift normally lays 1 to 6 eggs after which both animals incubate on for 19 to 28 days. Both parents are responsible for feeding their young ones. Close ‘family’ members, called cooperative breeders may also assist in the feeding duties. These adult birds carry food, mostly insects, for the young ones in their pouches.