Want to know what distinguishes Swifts from swallows?

We all know about the existence of swifts and swallows. These birds fill the sky with joyous spring noise over our houses and, without fear of people, settle nearby. And can you easily distinguish them? After all, they are so similar and externally, and a way of life. Let's look at these birds in more detail.

What distinguishes Swifts from swallows. Appearance

Let's start with the fact that these birds belong to different groups: swifts - representatives of a detachment of long-winged or shearing, and swallows - a detachment of passerines.

If you look closely at photos of swallows,   You can see that they have a black plumage with a bluish tint and a white or beige breast. The head of the swallow is decorated with a red-brown mark above and below the beak.

Swifts of feathers are greenish, and on the throat there is a small white speck. Swifts are more swallows and wings are longer, narrower, resembling a sickle, and in flight - on a tightly stretched bow.

What distinguishes Swifts from swallows. Ability to fly

Swifts are fast-moving birds. In the air, they speed up to 150 km / h. While at the swallow it does not exceed 60 km / h. Swift, as a rule, flies in a straight line very quickly, sharply and can dive into the nest, without reducing the speed.

Another feature of the swift is that in flight, it never folds its wings. By the way, in the air these birds almost all the time shriek. A swallow is a master of aerial pirouettes and unexpected turns. In flight, she is silent, and on vacation, her singing melodic, ending with a pleasant trill.

Strizh surprises with his abilities for non-stop flight: he eats, sleeps, drinks and even mates in the air. Just imagine, the young Swift flies to 500,000 km before you first sit down to rest!

The shape of the legs is a special sign of swift

Swifts, whose photos you see here, unlike swallows on the ground never sit down. This is the fault of the form of the feet. They are unusual in this bird: all four fingers with sharp, tenacious claws are extended forward, while at the swallow three fingers are extended forward, and one - back.

Due to this swallow can easily land on the ground and move around it, and, like many other birds - rest on the crossbeams, branches or perches. You must have seen birds sitting on wires with long forked tails. These are swallows.

A swift but can with its sharp, curved claws on short paws catch on the slightest ledge on the wall, tree or other vertical surface and climb it, leaning on a hard tail.

What distinguishes Swifts from swallows. Method of nesting

Everyone saw a wonderful work of building art - a swallow's nest, clad of clay or earth. But the swifts of the nests are not being built. Any hole, crevice, hollow or other nest is suitable for breeding offspring. Occupying them, the swift puts its predatory claws into play and recovers living space from sparrows, swallows and even starlings, which are twice as large as any of these "warriors".

Now you can surely answer without hesitation, what distinguishes Swifts from Swallows. But there is also something that brings them together: both, these and others are amazing creations of nature, bringing on the wings warmth, spring and joy.