African black swift (original) (raw)

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Species of bird

African black swift
Conservation status
Least ConcernLeast Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae
Genus: Apus
Species: A. barbatus
Binomial name
Apus barbatus(Sclater, PL, 1866)
Range[2] migrant resident breeder summer visitor and breeder Note: Madagascar and Comoros populations sometimes afforded species status, see text.

The African black swift (Apus barbatus), also known as the African swift or black swift, is a medium-sized bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya southwards to South Africa. The "black swifts" of Madagascar and the Comoros are either taken as two subspecies of the African black swift, or otherwise deemed a full species, the Malagasy black swift.

The African black swift was formally described in 1866 by the English zoologist Philip Sclater under the binomial name Cypselus barbatus based on a specimen collected in the Cape Province of South Africa.[3][4] The specific epithet is Latin meaning "bearded".[5] The African black swift is now one of sixteen species placed in the genus Apus.[6] This species is also known as the African swift and the black swift.[7][8]

Seven subspecies are recognised:[6]

The subspecies A. b. sladeniae has sometimes been considered as a separate species, the Fernando Po swift.[9][10]

From a spot at the top of a cliff at Hlokozi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The African black swift is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and bulky like a pallid swift; it appears entirely blackish-brown except for a small white or pale grey patch on the chin which is not visible from a distance. It has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. This species is very similar to the common swift but can be distinguished under optimum viewing conditions by the contrast between its black back and paler secondary wing feathers. The heavier build also gives it a distinctive flight action, which consisted of a steady level flight interspersed with short glides.

The call is a strident double-rasped, hissing scream zzzzzzzZZZTT, dissimilar to that of its confusion species.

Distribution and habitat

[edit]

The breeding habitat is damp mountains, typically between 1,600 and 2,400 m (5,200 and 7,900 ft), and less often at lower altitudes. This species feeds readily over lowland, and can form very large flocks, often with other gregarious swifts. The nominate South African subspecies is migratory, wintering further north. Other subspecies are resident. Of the other seven accepted forms, the most widespread is the small and dark A. b. subsp. roehli of east Africa. Two other dark races, A. b. balstoni and A. b. mayottensis (see: Malagasy black swift), are restricted to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands respectively. It has been suggested that some balstoni migrate to the continental mainland when not breeding, but this has not been proved.

East African birds nest in hollow trees, whereas in South Africa this species uses cliffs, usually inland but also on the coast. The African black swift is a colonial breeder, sometimes forming mixed colonies with alpine swifts. The nest is a shallow grass cup glued to the substrate with saliva, and the typical clutch is one or two eggs.

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2018). "Apus barbatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T22686819A130110767. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22686819A130110767.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ Chantler, Phil; Driessens, Gerald (2000). A Guide to the Swifts and Tree Swifts of the World. Pica Press. ISBN 1-873403-83-6.
  3. ^ Sclater, Philip Lutley (1865). "Notes on the genera and species of Cypselidae". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London (3) (published 1866): 593-617 [599]. For the publication date see: Duncan, F. Martin (1937). "On the dates of publication of the Society's 'Proceedings', 1859-1926". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. A107 (1): 71-83 [72]. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1937.tb08500.x.
  4. ^ Peters, James Lee, ed. (1940). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 4. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. pp. 247–248.
  5. ^ Jobling, James A. "barbatus". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  6. ^ a b AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 11 May 2026.
  7. ^ Chantler, P. (1999). "Family Apodidae (Swifts)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 5: Barn-owls to Hummingbirds. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 388-457 [454]. ISBN 978-84-87334-25-2.
  8. ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Remsen, J.V. Jr., eds. (2013). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Non-passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-9568611-0-8.
  9. ^ Borrow, Nik; Demey, Ron (2014). Birds of Western Africa (2nd ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-4729-0568-0.
  10. ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (February 2025). "Owlet-nightjars, treeswifts & swifts". IOC World Bird List Version 15.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 11 May 2026.