#626 Jack be Swift (Flying WHales)

 #626

Jack be Swift

For most of us the idea of flying is generally infrequent and only done on planes, but for one animal it’s love of the air is so great that it physically cannot survive on a flat surface. Meet Chimney Swift.

Often described as a “Cigar with Wings” (Roger Tory Peterson) the Chimmney Swift has longer distal bones to increase surface area to catch air, yet reduce drag for the long glides between The Midwest and Brazil. However there is another advantage to the longer distal bones that cannot be achieved as effectively by longer arms: The Feathers can flap or even twist semi-independently. This allows “The Flying Boomerang” to make sharp turns and minute adjustments during flight.

Then there are The Swift’s eyes. Similar to most birds, Swifts have two Fovea, or regions in the eye where light is focused to make images clearer. Unlike most birds however, the Swift can change the shape of their temporal Fovea, allowing them to literally focus on things in their peripheral vision; and each eye  can do this independently. Lastly is that even though they have a small beak, their mouths can open up astonishingly large to swallow whole groups. 

Yup this is going where you think, This Bird of prey functions like an aerial whale. These insectivores aren't picky eaters either –how could you be when you’ve got to eat upwards of 6,000 insects a day? Yet their favorite are spiders in the midst of ballooning (using aircurrents to carry them into the sky). As cool as these flying whales are, just like normal whales they can be beached since their unique wings hang below their legs when resting, meaning a Chimney swift on a flat surface cannot fly or walk. Instead they perch on vertical surfaces and are especially known to climb into chimneys to rest.

. It's a good thing they leave for Brazil each year in early October otherwise Santa might have a whale of a time handing out with these Beautiful birds.