Common swift, Apus apus (protonym, Hirundo Apus), also known as the Eurasian swift or the European swift, the northern swift, or simply as the swift, photographed at Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Image: GrrlScientist, 25 July 2011 [velociraptorize].
Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
Question: I've been frustrated that I've not had many well-photographed European birds to share as mystery birds, so I am sharing a less-than-wonderful photograph that I took of a bird that slept on the window screen of my open bedroom window -- just a few feet away from me as I slept! -- one month ago. There are so many remarkable things about these birds that I could ask you about, so instead of asking you one question, I instead will ask you to tell me something remarkable about this species or its close relatives. Since these birds love to sleep on my bedroom window screens (they've returned since I photographed this individual), I am thrilled to read your stories about them, too, so please do share!
Response: This is a common swift, Apus apus, a highly aerial bird in the family, Apodidae. Thanks to the wonders of convergent evolution, the swifts resemble swallows (Hirundinidae), a family within Passeriformes.
Even though I was surprised to see this individual hanging on my window screen, and worried it would fly away before I got a photograph (the window was wide open), the bird stayed put whilst I photographed it most of the night using several different cameras, a tripod, a step-ladder and dozens of other items. (For example, the photograph that you see above was snapped at 0330.)
This video captures four breeding pairs of common swifts as they visit nestboxes under the eaves of a house in Germany (14 July 2010):
You are invited to review all of the daily mystery birds by going to their dedicated graphic index page.
If you have bird images, video or mp3 files that you'd like to share with a large and (mostly) appreciative international audience here at The Guardian, feel free to contact me to learn more.
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