Alpine Swift Apus melba [Linnaeus, 1758] |
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Other Names
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Records
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For details point at or click the |
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Order:
Apodiformes
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Family: Apodidae |
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BTO Codes:
AI, ALPSW
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EURING No: 7980 | |
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Number in Britain:
10 records/year
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Conservation Status:
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Status in UK:
(A) Scarce Visitor
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Subspecies:
melba recorded in Britain (of 9 subsp. in the world)
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Length:
21 cm
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Wingspan: 57 cm |
Weight:
M/F: 100 g
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Scientific name from:
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L.: apus=the swift (from Gr.: a-=without + pous=foot) and melba=origin unclear |
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World Distribution:
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BREEDS: s Europe, s Asia, Africa, WINTERS: tropical Africa & s India |
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Habitat:
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Open country, esp. nr mountains |
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Diet:
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Flying insects and spiders caught in flight |
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Records and Distribution |
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First Record:
1820
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Total Number of Records (1950-2007):
482
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Summary of Records by Year
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Most Likely to Occur in:
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Most Recent County Records:
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Scotland:
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North-east England:
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North-west England:
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English Midlands:
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Eastern England:
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South-east England:
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South-west England:
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Wales:
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Information provided by BirdGuides and BBRC |
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Other Names |
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| Gaelic: Gobhlan-monaidh | Welsh: Gwennol Ddu'r Alpau |
| Danish: Alpesejler | Dutch: Alpengierzwaluw |
| Finnish: Alppikirskuja | French: Martinet alpin |
| German: Alpensegler | Hungarian: Havasi sarlósfecske |
| Icelandic: Alpasvölungur | Irish: Gabhlán Alpach |
| Italian: Rondone maggiore | Norwegian: Alpeseiler |
| Polish: Jerzyk alpejski | Portuguese: Andorinhão-real |
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Spanish:
Vencejo real
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Swedish: Alpseglare |
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For More Information... |
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Books and Monographs:
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| See Also: | |
Find scientific papers on  Google Scholar
or  Scirus by clicking the icon
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Wikipedia entry
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BirdLife species page
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Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
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