Animalia Life

Cypseloides niger
SUBFAMILY
Cypseloidinae
TAXONOMY
Hirundo nigra Gmelin, 1789, Hispaniola. Three subspecies.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: American black swift; French: Martinet sombre; German: Schwarzsegler; Spanish: Vencejo Negro.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
6.9 in (18 cm); 1.5–1.9 oz (41–51 g). Dark plumage usually with white fringe on underparts; females have broader white fringe on underparts.
DISTRIBUTION
Widespread but highly localized breeder in western United States and southern Canada and Alaska, south through Central America to Costa Rica; also breeds in northern West Indies; as yet unidentified wintering ground in South America.
HABITAT
Forages widely at higher elevations; less common in drier areas away from mountain waterfall and sea cave nesting sites.
BEHAVIOR
Leaves nest and roost site at first light and only returns at dusk; forages at high altitudes; may nest in larger numbers at a single site.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Insects and spiders; specializes on swarming insects, particularly winged reproductive ants.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Nest and the single white egg located in a cool damp dark area adjacent to water; incubation takes 24–27 days and fledging and additional 45–50 days.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Nest sites largely free of human disturbances; some traditional breeding sites in coastal California have been unoccupied in recent years; on the list of Species of Special Concern in California, but this is currently under review.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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