Who among us did not look at the rapidlysweeping in the pre-skies sky of small fast birds with forked tails, literally performing aerobatics figures, filling the air with shrill cries? It can be a swallow, and a swift. The similarity and distinction of these birds, as a rule, is associated only with the length of the tail. However, this is not quite true, or rather, not at all. From a distance they really look the same: both in size, color, and shape of the wings. Although these are completely different birds. So what's the difference between swallows and swifts?
Swallows, or in Latin, Hirundinidae, belong to a species-rich family of passerine-shaped species. In total, it has 75 species, of which ten occur on the territory of Russia.
Swallows make their dwellings out of clay, mud or silt, adding straws, twigs, blades of grass and fastening it with their saliva.
They fly more slowly swift. Their speed is usually about 50-60 km / h, but they are able to change the trajectory of their movement with lightning speed.
Swifts
Apodes - so in Latin are called Swifts.Related to the squabble group, they are divided into two families (crested swifts, Hemiprocnidae, inhabiting tropical Asia, and Prizhidae - Apodidae, found everywhere except the polar regions), in which there are about 80 species.
Swifts equip their dwellings in caves,crevices of rocks, hollows. Some species, like swallows, build their nests from hardened saliva. These buildings are also mistakenly called "swallow nests".
Swifts, you can say, live in the air. Their sickle-shaped wings are simply created for a swift flight. Some types of swifts can accelerate to more than 120 km / h.
External differences inherent in each specificthe sight of these birds, is more than enough. First of all, this concerns the structure of the feet. They have very short swifts, with all four fingers pointing forward. Such a structure does not allow these birds to sit on a branch or move on the ground. But it is very convenient to catch even the slightest ledge on a vertical surface, whether it be a rock or a wall of a building. At the swallow, like most other birds, one finger is directed back and three - forward. Because they can sit safely, for example, on branches or wires.
In addition, they differ in color.At swallows, even quickly flying, on your chest you can see a white speck. The second considered representative of birds does not have it. But that's not all, what distinguishes a swallow and a swift. The similarity and difference between them is that the wing never folds in flight. In contrast to swallows, Swifts are characterized by their shouting. In addition, it is much larger than it, its wings are narrower and longer, also having a crescent shape. It also has a shorter and broad tail. This bird can often be found in the city, and the swallow - in the countryside.
Both the swallow and the swift, whose similarity and differencecan be considered indefinitely, are migratory birds. As soon as autumn comes, they rush to the southern hemisphere, then in spring to return to their native lands and leave after themselves the offspring.
There are many signs associated with these birds,proverbs, sayings. Like other birds, swifts and swallows are our reliable volunteers in the fight against harmful insects. With the latter connect the beginning of spring, and, consequently, the chanting of love and life. The comfort of a home is not uncommonly associated with swallows' nests. And Swifts are associated with the summer, as they return to their native places the latest, bringing on their wings the warmth of distant countries.
