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Devil Birds: The Life Of The Swift
. Hutchinson, bright clean copy, no markings, Professional booksellers since 1981
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 20, 2014
A wonderful book, full of amazing photographs and insights into these beautiful birds. Very highly recommended!
October 29, 2021
Written in 1980, this book is still an most authoritative source of information on the swifts. The book contains numerous photos - while the quality is poor by current standards, they do give good insight into the lives of the swifts.
Swifts are amazing birds in many ways. They spend almost their entire life on the wing, even sleeping in the air. They obtain everything they need from the air including food, water and nesting materials. They are the fastest bird in level flight; the needle-tailed swifts having been reported to attain speeds of 170 kph.
Swifts nest in extremely inaccessible locations. The cloud swift of South America nests behind the Iguazu Falls. To reach the nest, it must dive to the speed of the falling water and dart through a break in the water. Young swifts, taking to the air for the first time, have a single chance to penetrate the waterfall : "...natural selection at its most demanding." Chimney swifts of the Americas use twigs for their nests that have been snapped off trees while the birds fly by them. Swifts use echo-location in caves using audible clicks.
In England, most swifts now nest in buildings, Victorian houses being highly favoured. A survey of nesting swifts done in 1979 found that none where found in buildings constructed after 1965.
Much of Bromhall's work was done with the swifts that have nested for many years in the tower of the Oxford Museum of Science. He notes that the museum was built in the mid 1800's with money provided by the sale of Bibles. "But the harmony between Church and Science that existed when the foundation stone was laid in 1855 had changed to discord by the time the building was finished."
After choosing a nest, swifts spend some time in mutual preening which leads to mating. While aerial mating has been reported, the author believes it to be a rare event. The birds most often mate with partners of previous years, but some partner changes are seen over the years. The author also suggests that it is unlikely that they stay together outside breeding season.
Swifts are feasted upon by louse-flies (Crataerina pallida), initially when the birds arrive to nest then on the chicks once they are born. Bromhall finds that "It is surprising that a swift, which can seize a tiny insect out of the air at full speed, is apparently unable to rid itself of a large fly actually sucking its blood." He imagines "... how it would feel to have 10-centimetre long parasites, the size of shore crabs, scuttling in and out of one's clothing, each taking about a quarter of a pint of blood every five days."
The tending of nestlings is surprising. During the first week they are fed once per hour alternately by the parents. However, in the second week they may be left for long periods while parents travel further to forge, leaving the chicks without food or warmth. The chick's temperature may drop to ambient. The chicks survive exposure that would kill nestlings of other passerines. The chicks lay down fat and have been known to survive a lack of food for three weeks, whereas an adult swift can only last four days without food.
At the time the book was written, ringing or banding had provided early indication of the movement of the swifts. The chicks head south within a day of leaving the nest. It is not until their fourth year that they successfully nest, lay fertile eggs and raise young.
Swifts are amazing birds in many ways. They spend almost their entire life on the wing, even sleeping in the air. They obtain everything they need from the air including food, water and nesting materials. They are the fastest bird in level flight; the needle-tailed swifts having been reported to attain speeds of 170 kph.
Swifts nest in extremely inaccessible locations. The cloud swift of South America nests behind the Iguazu Falls. To reach the nest, it must dive to the speed of the falling water and dart through a break in the water. Young swifts, taking to the air for the first time, have a single chance to penetrate the waterfall : "...natural selection at its most demanding." Chimney swifts of the Americas use twigs for their nests that have been snapped off trees while the birds fly by them. Swifts use echo-location in caves using audible clicks.
In England, most swifts now nest in buildings, Victorian houses being highly favoured. A survey of nesting swifts done in 1979 found that none where found in buildings constructed after 1965.
Much of Bromhall's work was done with the swifts that have nested for many years in the tower of the Oxford Museum of Science. He notes that the museum was built in the mid 1800's with money provided by the sale of Bibles. "But the harmony between Church and Science that existed when the foundation stone was laid in 1855 had changed to discord by the time the building was finished."
After choosing a nest, swifts spend some time in mutual preening which leads to mating. While aerial mating has been reported, the author believes it to be a rare event. The birds most often mate with partners of previous years, but some partner changes are seen over the years. The author also suggests that it is unlikely that they stay together outside breeding season.
Swifts are feasted upon by louse-flies (Crataerina pallida), initially when the birds arrive to nest then on the chicks once they are born. Bromhall finds that "It is surprising that a swift, which can seize a tiny insect out of the air at full speed, is apparently unable to rid itself of a large fly actually sucking its blood." He imagines "... how it would feel to have 10-centimetre long parasites, the size of shore crabs, scuttling in and out of one's clothing, each taking about a quarter of a pint of blood every five days."
The tending of nestlings is surprising. During the first week they are fed once per hour alternately by the parents. However, in the second week they may be left for long periods while parents travel further to forge, leaving the chicks without food or warmth. The chick's temperature may drop to ambient. The chicks survive exposure that would kill nestlings of other passerines. The chicks lay down fat and have been known to survive a lack of food for three weeks, whereas an adult swift can only last four days without food.
At the time the book was written, ringing or banding had provided early indication of the movement of the swifts. The chicks head south within a day of leaving the nest. It is not until their fourth year that they successfully nest, lay fertile eggs and raise young.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews