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 Alpine Swift  (Apus melba )

 

 

Identification: In bulk, Alpine Swifts are over twice as big as Swifts and so they make an even more impressive spectacle when they whirl in flocks low over their breeding sites. The sight and sound of them screaming low over the streets of Istanbul is particularly memorable. Apart from their greater bulk, Alpine Swifts can be told from other swifts by the striking white patch on the belly and the fact that the rest of the plumage is much browner than on other swifts. Beware that some 'swifts with white bellies' turn out to be partial albino swifts so check that the belly is neatly defined, that the plumage is brown, not sooty, and, if you can, try to see the white throat patch which would be diagnostic of Alpine Swift.

Habitat: Breeds mostly in mountainous areas, in cliffs or under bridges but also in the centre of large towns such as Istanbul.

Distribution: An annual vagrant to Britain, most frequently in spring to the south coast. 519 records in Britain and Ireland up to the end of 1995.

Locally common in many parts of southern Europe especially in hilly areas such as Monfrague in Spain, Les Alpilles in France and the Babuna Gorge in Macedonia but they are at their most impressive as they hawk and chatter above the streets of Istanbul.

Population: 44-62,000 breeding pairs across southern Europe and more in Turkey. A rare vagrant to the British Isles

 Source: Internet
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