Have you ever heard of a bird that flies in the air almost all its life, even sleeps in the sky, and only dies when it lands? This bird is the swift, it is the fastest flying bird in nature, the longest flying bird, its life is basically spent in the sky, even mating and laying eggs are done in the air, so it is also called "born for the sky".
Swifts have degraded feet and have little strength, and if they fall to the ground, it will be difficult for them to take off again, and they will even be preyed upon or starved to death by other animals. So, how did swifts adapt to this aerial life? How do they get their food and water?
1. The swift's ability to fly
Swift is a small bird, with long narrow wings and forked tail, they belong to the swift family, there are 19 genera and 92 species, distributed in various regions of the world, the most well-known of which is the swiftlet, their nest built with saliva and other substances is the bird's nest that people often eat, and has high nutritional value.
Swifts are so amazing that they can fly in the air for months, or even years, without landing, and they fly very fast, averaging 170 kilometers per hour and reaching a maximum of 353 kilometers per hour, which is about the same as the speed of a peregrine falcon that is good at short sprints diving.
Swifts also fly the longest flight time in the world, and scientists have placed special tracking equipment on 13 swifts, and found that some of them have been flying for up to 10 months without even landing on the ground. How is the swift's ability to fly formed? This has to do with their body structure and living environment.
Swifts have a very long body structure that is perfect for flying, with 10 long primary flight feathers, and a set of relatively short secondary flight feathers, and when the swift is in the air, if you look down from above, you will see that their two wings are as narrow as a sickle.
Such wings can reduce the drag experienced in flight, which undoubtedly saves a lot of energy for swifts, which is why they do not have more developed pectoral muscles like other birds.
Swifts also have forked tails, which help them steer and balance in the air, increasing their agility and stability.
Swifts also have shorter beaks but can open their mouths wide so that they can hunt insects and spiders in the air. Swifts also have large eyes, which can help them observe their surroundings and prey during high-speed flight, avoiding collisions or missing opportunities.
Swifts are a migratory bird that makes a long-distance migration every year in search of suitable climate and food, and their migration routes are very complex, some even have to cross more than 20 countries, with a flight distance of 38,000 kilometers, equivalent to the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
During such a migration, swifts must have a strong flight ability to cope with various weather and terrain changes, and at the same time, they must have enough endurance and speed to reach their destination in the shortest possible time and avoid wasting too much energy and time.
Swifts' ability to fly is also an important condition for them to adapt to life in the air, because their feet have degraded and have little strength, and if they fall to the ground, it will be difficult for them to take off again, and they will even be preyed upon or starved to death by other animals.
Therefore, they must never stop, they must fly non-stop, even if the wind and the sun, the rain and thunder, even if they are so tired that they can't lift their wings, the swifts can't stop, and once they stop, they will die.
2. Swifts' life in the air
Swifts don't land almost all their lives, and even sleep in the air, so how do they get food and water?
Swifts feed mainly on insects and spiders in the air, they will hunt in the air, they will open their mouths wide and devour all the small animals that can enter their mouths, they eat a lot of food, they can eat half of their body weight every day.
Swifts get their water mainly from their food, they also drink water in the air, they will fly over the water, they will gently touch the water surface with their mouths to bring water droplets into their mouths, or when it rains, they will catch raindrops with their beaks to replenish water.
Swifts also sleep in the air, using a method called "micro-sleep" to rest their brains during flight. Micro-sleep is to let one part of the brain go to sleep while the other part remains awake, which can ensure both the safety of the flight and the rest of the brain.
Scientists once placed electrodes on swifts' heads and found that when they were flying, they would put half of their brains into a micro-sleep state every few seconds, while the other half remained awake, and then swapped, which allowed them to fly in the air for months without feeling tired or sleepy.
Swifts' aerial life is also full of dangers and challenges, they will encounter various natural predators and weather threats, such as owls, eagles, harriers, falcons, snakes, cats, dogs, people, etc., as well as storms, lightning, hail, haze, etc.
In order to cope with these dangers and challenges, Swifts will use their speed, agility, sound, and numbers to fight or escape. Their speed and agility allow them to make all sorts of shifts and turns in the air to dodge enemy attacks or the weather
。 Their voices allow them to communicate and cooperate in the air, sending out signals and commands to alert their companions to danger or to find food. Their number allows them to form dense black clouds in the air, increasing their defense and attack power, while also allowing them to breed and lay eggs in the air, which is the next topic we will talk about.
3. Aerial reproduction of swifts
Swifts also breed in the air, where they mate and lay eggs, and then build nests on the ground or in buildings to hatch and raise their young.
Swifts mate and lay eggs very quickly and easily, they will find their mates in the air, and then in the process of flying, they will have a short mating, this process only takes a few seconds, and can be completed.
Swifts also lay eggs in the air, and as they fly, they will expel their eggs from their bodies and then use their own saliva to stick the eggs together to form a small egg mass.
This egg mass will be blown by the wind, fall to the ground or a building, and then be found by the swift's parents, who will build a nest with saliva and other materials, and place the egg mass into the nest for incubation and nurturing.
Swift nests are very special and delicate, they are made of swift saliva and other substances, such as feathers, branches, blades of grass, soil, etc., hemispherical or cup-shaped structure, their nests can withstand a lot of weight and pressure, can also resist high temperature and humidity, is very strong and durable.
Swift nests are usually built on the ground or in buildings, and some are even built in cliffs or burrows, and their nests usually have a small entrance that allows swifts to enter and exit.
However, their nests generally have a deep interior that allows swift eggs and young birds to survive safely, and their nests generally have a very warm environment that allows swift eggs and young birds to maintain a suitable temperature.
Swift eggs and young birds are very fragile and helpless, and they need constant food and protection from their parents in order to grow and develop.
Swift eggs generally have 2-3 eggs, white or light blue, with some light yellow or brown spots, the size of the eggs is about 1.5 cm, the weight of the eggs is about 1.5 grams, and the incubation period of the eggs is about 18-21 days.
There are generally 2-3 young swifts, gray or brown, with some white or black markings, the body length of the young is about 10 cm, the weight of the young is about 10 grams, and the nesting period of the young is about 40-45 days.
Swift parents will hunt large numbers of insects and spiders in the air, then glue them together with their mouths to form a small food ball, which they will then bring back to the nest and feed to eggs and young birds, which can be fed dozens of times a day, and can feed hundreds of insects and spiders each time.
The swift's parents will also drink water in the air and then use their beaks to bring the droplets back to the nest and feed them to the eggs and young birds, and can feed dozens of drops of water each time.