Apus melba
SUBFAMILY
Apodinae
TAXONOMY
Hirundo melba Linnaeus, 1758, Gibraltar. Ten subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Martinet а ventre blanc; German: Alpensegler; Spanish:
Vencejo Real.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
7.8–8.5 in (20–22 cm); 2.8–4.5 oz (76–120 g); largest swift of Europe
and throughout most of its range. Olive-brown upperparts;
underparts have a large white oval patch encircled by olive-brown
breast band, flanks, and undertail-coverts; white throat.
DISTRIBUTION
Widely distributed in mountainous areas and along coastal
cliffs from Pyrenees and Alps of western Europe eastward to
the Himalayas and peninsular India; mountainous areas of east
and southern Africa, Madagascar, and Arabian peninsula; winters
in central and western Africa. Accidental in Scandinavia,
British Isles, Iceland, and Caribbean.
HABITAT
Occurs widely at higher elevations; forests, cultivated areas,
and highly urbanized sites.
BEHAVIOR
Screaming parties around breeding areas are common. Mating
takes place on the wing as well as in nest chamber.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Wide array of aerial insects and spiders.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nests are small pads of plant material and feathers in a cliff or
natural cavity. Normally three eggs are laid, but sometimes as
few as one or as many as four. Incubation period is 17–23 days:
fledging at an age of 53–66 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Conservation efforts have increased populations in some areas.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
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