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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.
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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.
336:; 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
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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
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are either taken as two subspecies of the
African black swift, or otherwise deemed a full species, the
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migrate to the continental mainland when not breeding, but this has not been proved.
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Note: Madagascar and
Comoros populations sometimes afforded species status, see text.
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The
African black swift is 16–18 cm (6.3–7.1 in) long and bulky like a
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The call is a strident double-rasped, hissing scream
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Species text in The Atlas of
Southern African Birds
495:A Guide to the Swifts and Tree Swifts of the World
472:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22686819A130110767.en
430:, dissimilar to that of its confusion species.
401:respectively. It has been suggested that some
324:From a spot at the top of a cliff at Hlokozi,
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493:Chantler, Phil; Driessens, Gerald (2000).
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362:The nominate South African subspecies is
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340:. This species is very similar to the
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835:IUCN Red List least concern species
458:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
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234: summer visitor and breeder
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521:Sinclair, Hockey and Tarboton,
447:BirdLife International (2018).
523:SASOL Birds of Southern Africa
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865:Taxa named by Philip Sclater
850:Birds of Sub-Saharan Africa
542:African black swift –
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465:: e.T22686819A130110767.
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70:Scientific classification
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855:Birds of Southern Africa
300:. The "black swifts" of
860:Birds described in 1866
381:Two other dark races,
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228: resident breeder
393:), are restricted to
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276:discontinuously from
272:family. It breeds in
256:), also known as the
391:Malagasy black swift
316:Distinctive features
310:Malagasy black swift
264:, is a medium-sized
24:African black swift
248:African black swift
40:Conservation status
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794:Open Tree of Life
555:Taxon identifiers
387:A. b. mayottensis
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497:. Pica Press.
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399:Comoro Islands
383:A. b. balstoni
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476:. Retrieved
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334:pallid swift
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716:iNaturalist
587:Wikispecies
478:11 November
376:east Africa
262:black swift
200:Sclater, PL
140:Apodiformes
829:Categories
807:Xeno-canto
434:References
395:Madagascar
302:Madagascar
364:migratory
358:Movements
338:boomerang
168:Species:
130:Strisores
93:Kingdom:
87:Eukaryota
760:22686819
734:11227265
633:22686819
628:BirdLife
578:Q1272743
572:Wikidata
403:balstoni
397:and the
304:and the
282:Cameroon
150:Apodidae
146:Family:
107:Chordata
103:Phylum:
97:Animalia
83:Domain:
60:IUCN 3.1
773:1160836
708:5228648
682:1048572
669:afrswi1
643:afrswi1
615:Avibase
516:Sources
409:Nesting
370:subsp.
349:Habitat
306:Comoros
278:Liberia
268:in the
202:, 1866)
156:Genus:
136:Order:
113:Class:
58: (
799:529887
747:555009
721:339935
690:EURING
529:
501:
389:(see:
372:roehli
290:Uganda
274:Africa
232:
226:
220:
786:71752
729:IRMNG
695:30500
664:eBird
640:BOW:
368:A. b.
294:Kenya
286:Zaire
270:swift
217:Range
124:Clade
768:NCBI
755:IUCN
742:ITIS
703:GBIF
656:FZDD
527:ISBN
499:ISBN
480:2021
463:2018
422:Call
385:and
292:and
266:bird
246:The
161:Apus
117:Aves
677:EoL
651:CoL
602:ADW
467:doi
374:of
260:or
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
