General

Fork-tailed Swift: Large swift, brown-black overall with white throat and rump, scaled belly, and long, deeply forked tail. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has pale forehead.

Range and Habitat

Fork-tailed Swift: A rare vagrant in western Europe, but has been recorded as far west as Norway and Great Britain; spends winters south to Australia. Casual to rare summer visitor on the western Aleutians and Pribilof islands of Alaska. Preferred habitats include mountains and human habitations, usually near water.

Breeding and Nesting

Fork-tailed Swift: Two to three white eggs are laid in a nest made of grass, moss, and leaves, glued together with sticky saliva, and built on a cliff ridge or under a roof crevice; usually nests near water. Incubation ranges from 19 to 22 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Fork-tailed Swift: Feeds on insects; forages in flight.

Vocalization

Fork-tailed Swift: Song is a short chatter "chree-chree-chree-chree-chree." Call is an abrasive "spee-err."

Similar Species

Fork-tailed Swift: Other swifts lack deeply forked tail.