Horus Swift
Apus horus
A dark, sturdy swift with a shallowly forked tail and a broad, white rump patch. It prefers to breed in colonies of other hole-nesting species (e.g, bee-eaters, kingfishers, martins and starlings) and forages widely over adjacent terrain. A thin quavering “prrreeeoooo” call, often given near nests, is distinctive. The similar Little Swift differs from Horus Swift by being slightly smaller and having a square tail; the larger White-rumped Swift is more slender, has a deeply-forked tail, and has narrow white “U” on the rump.
识别特征
The Horus swift is 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) long and quite bulky. It appears entirely blackish except for a white patch on the chin and a white rump. It has a medium length forked tail. It has a fluttering flight like little swift. The little swift has a square tail, and more extensive white on the rump than Horus, and white-rumped swift has a more deeply forked tail and a narrower white band. The call is a buzzing peeeeooo, peeeeooo.
分类信息
The Horus swift was formally described in 1869 by the German explorer and ornithologist Theodor von Heuglin under the binomial name Cypselus horus. The specific epithet is from Ancient Egyptian mythology: Horus was the god of the sun. This species is now one of 20 swifts placed in the genus Apus that was introduced in 1777 by the Italian naturalist Giovanni Antonio Scopoli. The species is treated as monotypic. The subspecies A. h. fuscobrunneus and A. h. toulsoni were formerly recognised but are now considered to be colour morphs of the nominate form.
- 学名
- Apus horus
- 命名信息
- (Heuglin, 1869)
- 目
- Apodiformes
- 科
- Apodidae
- 属
- Apus
分布与栖息地
The swift breeds in sub-Saharan Africa. It has an extensive continuous distribution from eastern and southern South Africa north to southern Zambia and central Mozambique, and has recently colonised the De Hoop Nature Reserve area of the Western Cape. It also occurs very discontinuously in much of the rest of the sub-Saharan region, with the Ethiopian mountains and the area from central Kenya into Uganda having large populations. Identification difficulties confuse the limits of this species' range. Birds in South Africa are migratory, wintering further north. Other populations are resident apart from local movements.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
The Horus swift breeds in old burrows of bee-eaters, ground woodpeckers, kingfishers and martins, which are typically in natural or artificial sandy banks. The flat nest of vegetation and hair, glued with saliva is built at the end of the tunnel and 1-4 eggs are laid. The eggs are incubated for 28 days to hatching, and the fledging period is about 6 weeks. This species is not colonial, but the nature of its breeding habitat means that a number of pairs may be scattered through a bee-eater or banded martin colony. It feeds at middle levels over adjacent habitats, but avoids large towns.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- rising
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Dybowski's Twinspot
Euschistospiza dybowskii
An unusual dark twinspot with a gray hood, a red back and rump, and large white “twin spots” on the belly. Found in areas of tall grass, both in lush savanna and along forest edge. Usually in pairs or small groups. Most similar to Brown Twinspot, but separated by many details, including the red back and the twin spots restricted to the belly. The calls are simple, often repeated “seet” and “veet” notes. The song is a variable mix of the call notes, plus high-pitched bubbling and squealing notes.
Mongolian Lark
Melanocorypha mongolica
A large, brightly-colored lark of grassy steppe; often found near lakes and wet meadows. Brown overall with cinnamon tinges to the crown and shoulders, a down-curved white eyebrow, and a blotchy black collar that breaks at the throat. Highly distinctive in flight: black-and-white wing pattern is reminiscent of certain lapwings and plovers, and visible from a great distance. Usually seen singly.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Empidonax flaviventris
Small flycatcher, extremely similar to several other species. Generally shy and inconspicuous; breeds in spruce forests often near boggy areas. Migrants tend to be found in denser wet areas within woods. Olive-greenish above with distinctive yellow wash on throat and belly. Black wings with bold white wingbars. Nearly identical to Western Flycatchers, but limited range overlap. Within range, main confusion species is Least Flycatcher. Bright yellow throat and belly is usually enough to identify Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, but some worn birds can be very similar. Song is similar to Least Flycatcher ("chebek") but more slurred, with a soft buzzy tone. Not frequently repeated like Least Flycatcher. Soft whistled call note, "pwee," unlike Least's sharp "whit" call.
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