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Alpine Swift Apus melba   [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names Records Books & Links
Order: Apodiformes Family: Apodidae
BTO Codes: AI , ALPSW EURING No: 7980
Number in Britain: 10 records/year
Conservation Status:
UK: Unlisted
European: Not a species of concern
Global: Least Concern
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Status in UK: (A)  Scarce Visitor
Subspecies: melba recorded in Britain (of 9 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 21 cm Wingspan: 57 cm Weight: M/F: 100 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: takhos=fast +marpto=to seize and melba=origin unclear
World Distribution: BREEDS: s Europe, s Asia, Africa, WINTERS: tropical Africa & s India
Habitat: Open country, esp. nr mountains
Diet: Flying insects and spiders caught in flight
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Records and Distribution
First Record: 1829
Total Number of Records (1958-2004): 458 Summary of Records by Year
Most Likely to Occur in: April to October
Most Recent County Records:
   Scotland: Argyll , Ayrshire , Borders (1951), Clyde (1992), Dumfries & Galloway (1923), Highland , Lothian (1995), Moray & Nairn , Northeast , Outer Hebrides , Orkney , Shetland (2003),
   North-east England: Cleveland (2002), Durham , Northumberland (1997), East Yorkshire (2002), North Yorkshire (2004), South Yorkshire (1997), West Yorkshire (2003),
   North-west England: Cheshire (2002), Cumbria (1970), Lancashire ,
   English Midlands: Derbyshire (2000), Leicestershire , Northamptonshire , Nottinghamshire (1998), Staffordshire (1996), Warwickshire (2003), West Midlands (1988), Worcestershire (1997),
   Eastern England: Cambridgeshire (1998), Essex (2003), Hertfordshire (1998), Lincolnshire (2003), Norfolk (2004), Suffolk (2003),
   South-east England: Berkshire (1983), Hampshire (2004), Isle of Wight (2002), Kent (2004), Greater London , Oxfordshire (1994), Surrey (2004), East Sussex (2001), West Sussex (1999),
   South-west England: Cornwall (2004), Devon (2001), Dorset (2004), Gloucestershire (2002), Somerset (2002), Wiltshire (1986), Isles of Scilly (2002),
   Wales: Anglesey (2003), Carmarthen (1998), Ceredigion , Clwyd (1999), Glamorgan (1996), Gwynedd (2002), Gwent , Pembrokeshire (2002), Powys ,
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Other Names
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
Spanish: Vencejo real Swedish: Alpseglare
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For More Information...
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See Also:
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These data should be cited as:
Robinson, R.A. (2005) BirdFacts: profiles of birds occurring in Britain & Ireland (v1.22, Oct 2008). BTO Research Report 407, BTO, Thetford (http://www.bto.org/birdfacts)

 

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