White-throated Swift

Overview

The white-throated swift (Aeronautes saxatalis) is a medium-sized bird belonging to the family Apodidae, native to western North America and south to western Honduras. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, although populations have experienced a significant decline from 1966 to 1998, potentially linked to the loss of roosting sites and reduced food supply.

Identification

• Primarily black and white plumage, with blackish-brown or black back and wings contrasting with white breast, belly, chin, and throat.
• Medium-sized body, generally 15–18 cm in length, with a wingspan of 35.5 cm and a relatively shallow 10 mm-deep tail notch.
• Distinguished from similar species like the American black swift and Vaux's swift by its white underparts.
• Vocalisations include staccato chattering, a sharp one- or two-note call, and a shrill drawn-out scree.

Habitat

Native to western North America and south to cordilleran western Honduras, with a coastal range extending as far north as Northern California and inland populations ranging as far north as southern British Columbia. The species inhabits open areas near cliffs, rock faces, or man-made structures such as bridges, overpasses, and quarry walls, where it forms colonies and roosts.

Diet

Aerial insectivores that frequently forage in areas of rising air along the edges of canyons, foothills, or mountains, and are known to follow harvesting machinery to capture disturbed insects. Their diet consists mainly of beetles, flies, bees, and true bugs (Hemiptera), and they obtain most of their water from their food, though they may occasionally skim the surface of ponds to drink.

Did you know?

White-throated swifts are rapid fliers that rarely land except to roost, and they can be observed bathing in mid-air by hitting the surface of water with their underside, followed by airborne preening.