Pacific Swift
A species of Typical Swifts Scientific name : Apus pacificus Genus : Typical Swifts
Pacific Swift, A species of Typical Swifts
Botanical name: Apus pacificus
Genus: Typical Swifts
Content
Description General Info
Description
At 17–18 cm (6.7–7.1 in) in length, the Pacific swift is the largest of the Apus swifts. It has a 43-to-54-cm (17-to-21-in) wingspan. Females are slightly heavier than males, averaging 44.5 g (1.57 oz) against 42.5 g (1.50 oz). It is similar in general shape to the common swift, although slightly longer-winged and with a more protruding head. The fork of the tail is deeper, and the rump is broader. The upperparts are black, apart from a white rump band and a somewhat greyer head. The underparts are black, although white fringes to the feathers gives the belly a scaly appearance when seen well from below. The tail and the upper wings are black, and the underwings are brown. The eyes are brown and the small bill and very short legs are black. The sexes are identically plumaged, and juveniles differ from the adults only in that the feathers show pale fringes, particularly on the wings. The southern subspecies, A. p. kurodae, has a narrower white rump (15 mm/0.6 in against the nominate form's 20 mm/0.8 in), a grey throat and blacker underparts. Juveniles of migratory Apus swifts have a partial moult prior to migration, but retain the larger wing feathers. The moult is completed in the wintering grounds, where adults have a complete moult. This species is usually straightforward to identify. The white-rumped swift is similar to Pacific swift, but its slender body and long, deeply forked tail make it appear quite different from its more powerfully built relative. A possible pitfall is a partially leucistic common swift with a white rump. The Pacific swift can be distinguished with care by its deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head, larger white throat patch and patterned underparts. In parts of Southeast Asia, migrating Pacific swifts pass through the resident ranges of former subspecies, and good views are then necessary to be sure of correct identification. 
Size
19-20 cm (7.5-8 in)
Feeding Habits
Pacific Swift predominantly consumes a variety of insects, especially Diptera. They forage mid-flight, displaying adept aerial hunting techniques, often during twilight. Unique adaptations include agile flight maneuvers enabling the capture of diverse prey such as Hymenoptera and Coleoptera.
Habitat
The pacific Swift occupies a diverse range of habitats from the low Arctic to the tropics, frequently observed around human settlements. This species adapts to both breeding and wintering environments, including urban areas. During winter, pacific Swift predominantly resides in lowland regions and is known to forage above forests, particularly noted in Malaysia. It is also found at various elevations, from sea level up to 3,000 meters in places like Japan.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Distribution Area
The nominate subspecies, A. p. pacificus, breeds in eastern Asia from the Ob River northeast to Kamchatka and east to the Kuril Islands, Sakhalin and Japan. It is strongly migratory, wintering in southern Indonesia, Melanesia and Australia, including Tasmania. It is a common migrant through coastal Malaysia, Sumatra and Java with "vast numbers" crossing the Strait of Malacca. Subspecies A. p. kurodae breeds from southeastern Tibet through eastern China to southern Japan, Taiwan and Orchid Island. It is a relatively short-distance migrant, wintering in the Philippines, Malaysia and northern Indonesia. As a powerful long-distance migrant, the nominate subspecies of Pacific swift has occurred as a vagrant far from its normal range. Birds have been recorded from Brunei, the Maldives, New Zealand and Macquarie Island, and there have been multiple occurrences in the Seychelles. In the US, this species is casual in the Pribilof and Aleutian Islands; a claimed 2010 sighting from the Yukon will be the first for Canada and the mainland of North America if ratified. In South America, there is a 1959 record from Colombia. There are 13 European records as of 2013, from Denmark (two), Spain, Sweden (four) and the UK (seven). It is possible that this overstates the true number of visiting birds. All the listed countries had a sighting on different dates in the summer of 2013 which could be due to a single wandering bird. The four most recent English records in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2013 all included sightings at Spurn, East Yorkshire and may refer to one returning individual. A mainly aerial species, this swift is not limited to particular land habitats or climatic zones; it breeds from the Arctic to sub-tropical China, and from sea level to at least 3,000 m (9,800 ft) in Japan. It is often found around human habitation. It tends to winter in lowlands, and in Australia it is found in arid areas as well as in towns and on the coast. Flocks of thousands may appear when there are hot strong winds. Pacific swifts often travel and feed with white-throated needletails. The Pacific swift probably sleeps in flight when not nesting, behaviour known to occur in the common swift and suspected in other Apus species, but there is an Australian record of these swifts roosting in a tree, and they are occasionally seen to land briefly on the ground or on vertical surfaces.
Species Status
The Pacific swift has a very large range, exceeding 10,000,000 km (3,800,000 mi). Its population is unknown, although it is common throughout its breeding range with no evidence of any decline. It is therefore classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as being of least concern. There appear to be no significant threats to this bird; predation is low, and this swift is not tied to a particular habitat. Some birds may die through misadventure or become exhausted when lost on migration (the first record for the Western Palaearctic was found resting on a North Sea gas platform), but swifts have high survival rates and are generally long-lived. The common swift, a close relative of the Pacific swift, has been recorded as reaching 21 years old.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Swifts and hummingbirds Family
Swifts Genus
Typical Swifts Species
Pacific Swift 
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