What do swift chicks eat? Swift. Help and care at home. What to feed a swift other than insects

The black swift is one of the most difficult species to successfully nurse. This is a very difficult task for beginners, so it will be best for the swift chick if you find an experienced specialist who can handle this task.

If you do not have such an opportunity, then below are detailed explanations of what needs to be done to safely feed and raise a swift.

Swifts should never be kept in bird cages because they will fight and damage their plumage. If the flight feathers are damaged, the swift cannot fly. It is best to keep the chick in a half-open plastic or cardboard box. You can place absorbent paper towels on the bottom of the box, which need to be changed regularly so that the swift chick does not get dirty in its droppings. It is advisable to place a “nest” made of wood or cork or other material in the corner of the box.

If the chick is alone, it will simply sit quietly in the nest. But if there are two or more swift chicks in the nest, they preen each other’s feathers, and they can be heard making quiet calling sounds. After feeding the swifts, these sounds sometimes subside for a while, but when they get hungry, the chicks begin to make them again, first quietly, and then with increasing force. When the time comes for swift chicks to fly, they stop making typical nesting sounds.

Feeding swift chicks

Black swifts are exclusively insectivorous birds. Adult birds feed the chicks several times a day with compressed lumps of food consisting of various types insects caught on the fly. If possible, swiftlet chicks should be fed seven times a day with suitable ingredients from several types of insects.

Here is a sample diet for swift chicks aged 3 to 6 weeks: 2 or 3 house crickets, 3 or 4 drones, 1/2 wax moth larvae, several fly larvae (fishing bait), flies 1/6 teaspoon dried insects (mixture for insectivores, can be bought at a pet store), you can add complex vitamins and calcium supplements, you must first consult with an ornithologist.

Do not feed swift chicks with bread, grains, mealworms or earthworms. These products are completely unsuitable and can cause death or malformation of feathers, rendering the bird unable to fly normally. The mixture for each feeding of swift chicks must be freshly prepared.

Techniques for feeding swift chicks

Before feeding, you need to wrap the swift chick in a paper or rag napkin and carefully hold the bird in your left hand. Then very carefully you need to open the beak with the fingernail of your right hand and carefully insert the index finger of your left hand into the beak from the side to keep it open. All this must be done very carefully so as not to break or bend the beak. The beak of swifts is quite fragile.

Then, still carefully, you place a piece of food deep into the chick's throat using tweezers with blunt rounded ends. If food is placed shallowly, the chick may push it out or throw it out, shaking its head. If a swift chick tries to suck your finger, do not stop it, as this will help with feeding. This makes it much easier to give food that is readily swallowed.

When is a swift chick ready to fly?

Birds are ready to fly when their long wing feathers are completely clear of light protective tubes. The flight feathers of swifts should be approximately 16 cm long and extend at least 3.5 cm beyond the tail feathers. Swifts have no pre-flight practice. After leaving the nest, they simply fly and remain in the air for two years until they begin nesting. However, swift chicks strengthen their flight muscles by performing “push-ups,” pressing their wings to the floor and lifting themselves high above the surface.

To release a swift chick into nature, you need to choose a large open space, in case something goes wrong, the bird can be easily seen. To release, swifts need space and some elevation above the ground. You need to take the bird in your hands and throw the bird into the air so that the bird can gain height. But if the swift did not fly up, but glided to the ground, then it is too early to release it, you need to take the swift chick home and continue feeding, and try again to release it in a few days.

On the day of release the weather should be clear and, if possible, no precipitation for the next 2-3 days in a southerly direction, as the birds will head straight to Africa.
Fledglings of black swifts do not receive any help from their parents. From the very beginning they are able to fly perfectly and achieve everything on their own.

From: David
Tel.: 891

Message:
Hello! I picked up a swift with a broken wing - as it turned out, it had an open fracture. The veterinary clinic said that he will no longer fly, but I want to believe otherwise. Tell me, does your clinic perform complex wing surgeries?

Good afternoon Yes, we perform operations on the wings of swifts of any complexity. Extramedullary, intermedullary osteosynthesis, tendon compression, etc.) In order to decide, you should come to us, and after an x-ray we will decide what can be done.

Selected swift in a box

Swift doesn't eat

From: Julia
Tel.: 8919

Message:
Good afternoon. A swift flew onto our balcony. Doesn't eat, drinks forcibly when you drop water on its beak. Crawling into his hands, looking for a dark corner. Doesn't fly. There is not a single long feather in the tail. There are no ornithologists in the city. What can be done to get it out? How to diagnose a health problem?

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

The swift fell

From: Nikita
Tel.: 89854

Message:

I won’t be able to keep an eye on him all the time; I’m not always at home. Is it possible to give it to you with payment for materials for restoration?

Good afternoon

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Doesn't want to tear off its beak

From: Yuliya
Tel.: +79169

Message:

Good afternoon
The young shearling was found near cars, not in a forested area. It cannot fly. Difficulties with feeding. Doesn't want to open its beak. He drinks water well. What to do?

Good afternoon You can open the beak using your fingers. How? We need to show it to you obviously. As for food, crickets should be given.
Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov.

The cat's swift was taken away

Thursday, July 19, 2018, 19:31 +03:00 from [email protected]:
Hello,
An adult swift was taken from a cat on the street.
In appearance, there is no particular damage, very nimble, but scared.
We have no skills in caring for birds and would like to know if it is possible to place him in a shelter?

Friday, July 20, 2018, 9:59 +03:00 from [email protected]:
Hello! Today I found a swift in the grass, it doesn’t fly at all, it moves on its paws. Can you take him home and treat him?

Good afternoon Yes, we have all the conditions for this, and a Rehabilitation Center specifically for swifts, and doctors who treat swifts. In order to place a swift in the Rehabilitation Center, you need to pay for food in the form of crickets.

A swallow chick was found in the grass

From: Irina
Tel.: 8-921-326

Message:
Hello, on site today kindergarten A swallow chick was found in the grass. Someone said he fell from the roof. The wing hangs a little. but not much. He stands on one paw and presses the other one. What to do with him…? There are a lot of crows around, they will peck. Still in the box. Scared.

Dear day Judging by the photo it is a swift. You should feed them crickets. Buy them mono at pet stores. You can also transfer it to us at the Rehabilitation Center for Swifts, but then you should, along with the striatus, give it food in the amount of 3000-4000 crickets or transfer an amount sufficient to purchase crickets - namely 5000 rubles.
Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Fleas on a swift in Krasnodar

From: Elena
Tel.: +786124

Message:
Good afternoon, Vladimir!
A couple of weeks ago I took a swift from my cat. In Krasnodar. It seems to me that this is an adult bird. I don't know the weight, but the dimensions correspond to an adult bird. The cat injured its eye. But the eye is already open. And the wound near the eye is actively healing. Processed by Tsipromet. And a wound. And I gave it drop by drop for a couple of days. On another wing I recently discovered a hole in the bone (or in the feather, I don’t really understand. Everything there is so fragile. I’m afraid to touch it too much. But it resists when I examine it). The wing does not fully expand. Again I began to instill it with cypromet, and the hole was closing up! And he began to move this wing very actively. The cat also tore the feathers out of his tail, two or three on the left. Those feathers seem to be growing back. Or so it seems to me. And one tail feather is half broken. I feed him crickets. Forcibly. I give water drop by drop from a syringe. eats little. The cricket swallows the first two greedily. Then, with difficulty, I shove three more into him. Five to 7 times a day. It is not enough? I sometimes try to feed him more often, but he categorically refuses. I am afraid to give him vitamins and other supplements. I also saw some small insects on it. Fleas, probably. But I don’t dare to process anything. Before I pick it up, I wash my hands with soap and dry them. Runs very fast! They say that swifts cannot move around flat surface. How can they! He loves to sit in my palm and flap his wings. Do you think he will be able to fly with such damage? Is there any nursery for swifts in Krasnodar? I couldn't find it. But if he can't fly, then I don't even know what to do with him. Life turned into a nightmare dedicated exclusively to this little one. It is very, very difficult to work and combine feeding a swift. His mouth is pink. Feathers shine. During this time nothing fell out. I keep it clean. Live, I think. he will. I will try to keep him alive. Every year I look after the fledglings of jays and blackbirds. But it’s easier with them than with a swift. But I can’t even imagine what to do with him next if he suddenly can’t fly.

Good afternoon1 Here it is necessary to take an x-ray to determine whether he has a fracture. It is also possible to show the ornithologist +7 964 935 11 57 Inna
If you have no place to keep him until the horse flies, then you can give him to us, but here with him you will have to hand over 4,000 crickets so that we can feed him with them. Sprays based on pyrethrum help against fleas. They are sold for both birds and dogs. Suitable for swifts.

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Swift on the balcony

From: Julia
Tel.: 891993

Message:
Good afternoon. A swift flew onto our balcony. Doesn't eat, drinks forcibly when you drop water on its beak. Crawling into his hands, looking for a dark corner. Doesn't fly. There is not one long feather in the tail. There are no ornithologists in the city. What can be done to get it out? How to diagnose a health problem?

The most important thing here is to feed it with insects, for this you should buy crickets and feed them directly into the beak. They eat on average 50-60 crickets per day.

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Rescue of a weak swift

From: Nikita
Tel.: 898545

Message:
Hello! I noticed a swift on the street today; it was sitting on the sidewalk, when I tried to pick it up, it took off, circled around the yard and fell on the sidewalk again. It is given to the hands, can stand on its paws, fly, but crashes into walls and falls. I gave him water, fed him a little through a syringe, put him in a “nest” made of a blanket - he lies with his eyes closed, breathes, does not cry, rather weak. When I approach, he opens his eyes and becomes a little wary.

I won’t be able to keep an eye on him all the time; I’m not always at home. Is it possible to give it to you to save the swift?

Good afternoon

He is most likely malnourished and should be fed crickets. It also looks like he needs to be treated. For all this you can come to us.

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Swift wing problem

From: Margarita
Tel.: 89779

Message:
Good evening. A swift was found today. At first glance, he has problems with his wing. Tell me, under what conditions can he be taken to a hospital/shelter for treatment and release?

Good afternoon The main condition is to bring along with the swift 4000 crickets for its food.
Sincerely, Vladimir Zyablikov

Naked chick on the ground

From: Marina
Tel.: 891619

Message:
Good afternoon. A week ago I found a naked chick on the ground, I didn’t find any nests nearby, I fed it, and now it’s almost fledged. It looks like a sparrow. I won’t be able to keep him with me from Monday, because I need to feed him often, and I will be away for a long time. It’s too early to release him, he doesn’t know how to peck yet. Can I give him to you for additional feeding and release?
Thank you.

Good afternoon Yes you can! To do this, you need to hand over 4,000 crickets for food along with the chick. As for the lack of feathers, it doesn’t matter, we have a special brooder for feeding swift chicks and other birds..
Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

What to feed a swift other than insects

From: Vadim
Tel.: 8-916-182-3

Message:
Good afternoon I picked up a swift, it looked like it was injured (apparently it crashed into a car, there was blood on the bird’s wing).
1. Please tell me what can be fed besides insects (dry food, etc.).
2. Is it possible to “attach” him to your clinic and under what conditions?
Thanks in advance. Vadim

Good afternoon It is possible to place a swift in our hospital. Only for the device it is necessary to fulfill the following condition or you bring 4000 crickets to feed the swift.
As you understand, feeding swifts is preferable using insects. In your case - crickets. Swifts are fed insects in order to return them back to their natural life as quickly as possible. Life in nature. This is essential for the most successful rehabilitation of swifts. Feed substitutes are used in extreme cases of insect absence and will reduce the success of rehabilitation efforts.

Sincerely, Vladimir Romanov

Do you often look out the window or look at the sky in the summer, running to work early in the morning and returning from work late in the evening from Monday to Friday? In the heap of momentary troubles, constant dissatisfaction with life, grievances, squabbles, health problems, we often do not notice the simplest and most accessible to everyone - the beauty of nature.

I myself was mired in all this, as if I had gone blind. Today I was surprised to notice flocks of swifts flying right in front of my window and emitting a piercing squeak. But these birds fly to us in the first half of May, and from southern Africa! Our swifts can be observed by semi-wild African tribes who still use homemade spears for hunting and live in clay shacks. This is my greeting to them from us and to us from them. For example, Egypt, where many Russians like to vacation and where it takes 4-5 hours to fly from Moscow by plane, is only northern Africa.

As a child, I had to several times pick up and bring home young animals that had fallen from the nest. This happened more often in rainy weather, when the nests became wetter and slippery.

Unfortunately, we were never able to feed the cubs and after some time they died. But don’t despair, you can help!

Common Misconceptions

I always thought that swifts do not know how to take off from the ground; in order to fly, they supposedly need to fall down from a height. In fact, this is not true. Adult birds take off beautifully from clear ground, without the obstacles of thick grass or other uneven surfaces that could interfere with takeoff. If the adult does not fly away, most likely there may be health problems.

Another common myth is that if you return a fallen chick to the nest, the parents will not accept it, as they will smell the person. Even if they accept it, if only they could find that nest!

How to help?

First of all, check on the Internet to see if there are specialized rehabilitation centers for birds in your region where chicks can receive qualified assistance. Here are just a few of them:

• "Association of Bird Lovers", St. Petersburg.
• "Green Parrot", Moscow.
• "Birds Without Borders" named after. A. I. Kuindzhi, Ryazan region.
• "Romashka", Tver region.
• "Phoenix", Kaluga.
• "Smolensk Poozerye", Smolensk.
• "Simbirsk Rescue Center wild birds", Ulyanovsk.

If there is no center nearby, contact the city veterinary clinic or veterinary center.

Initial steps:

1. Determine whether you found a chick or an adult. The babies have a white edging on their large primary wings, and white speckles can be seen on their heads. Chicks are also distinguished by the tubes from which their feathers emerge.
2. Perform general visual inspection- whether there are any visible damages or injuries, whether the integrity of the plumage is compromised. Carefully inspect the wings and legs. Compare body parts in pairs - they should not be very different. If one wing is lower than the other and flops uncharacteristically, it is likely broken. A broken leg can also dangle. If a fracture is suspected, only veterinarian. If the bird's keel protrudes noticeably and there is little muscle around it, then most likely the bird is exhausted and will need to be fattened.
3. If there are no visible injuries, but the swift looks lethargic and inactive, it is also necessary to take it to the veterinarian for tests to rule out common infectious diseases. You should be checked for psittacosis, salmonellosis, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, helminths, and influenza virus. When interacting with birds, observe the rules of personal hygiene, wash your hands with soap after each contact, especially after cleaning up droppings.
4. A sedentary bird that refuses to eat needs to be warmed up. You can use 40 and 60 W light bulbs located at a distance of about 50 cm from the box (the light should not fall on the swift). Warmers and hot water bottles are also suitable.
5. Check if the swift is able to eat. To do this, take a small insulin syringe, fill it with 0.2 ml of warm boiled water from a kettle and carefully drop 1 drop into the beak, trying to get it on the tongue. If the bird swallows at the same time, it means that the swallowing reflex is preserved. This is a good sign!
6. The haircut should be located in the shade, not in a draft. You can use a box 30 by 40 cm (width, length) and 15-20 cm in height. Lay several layers of toilet paper on the bottom to absorb excess moisture. Be sure to build a nest inside the shelter, in a secluded corner. Regular foam will do. Cover the top of the box with gauze. Place a 40-60 W lamp nearby to warm it up (the light should not fall on the socket).
7. The swift's feathers cannot be washed or trimmed. At most, gently wipe them with the chamomile solution.

Feeding rules

Swifts feed on compressed lumps of insects 50-70 times a day. In the first days, you can use baby meat puree consisting of beef and turkey, as well as low-fat 0% cottage cheese mixed with gammarus and daphnia (can be purchased at aquarium stores). Use an insulin syringe for feeding. Feeding frequency: 1 time per hour, 0.4 ml of puree at a time.

The simplest and most affordable food is boiled egg(mushy protein and only a little), raw chicken fillet, finely chopped to a pate (mix with water until it becomes runny).

You will still have to add insects to your diet. Suitable materials include maggots (can be purchased at fishermen's stores), drones, crickets, ant eggs, moths, caterpillars, and flies. It is advisable to soak them in warm water before use.

By the way, insects can be stored for future use and stored in freezer. Mix them into a single mass, add a little water, roll them into balls and put them in the freezer, covering the top with paper or foil.

Bread and grains are not suitable for nutrition - the chick will die. Milk will cause constant diarrhea.

At the end of the next feeding, the swift should drink water. Pour about 4-5 drops of liquid into the beak.

Before the next eating session, carefully wrap the bird in a scarf or napkin and take it in your left hand. With your right hand, gently open the beak and secure the gap with the tip of your index finger.

Using tweezers, take the cooked insect (or other food) and place it in the bottom of the throat, behind the base of the tongue. After feeding, gently stroke the neck feathers to build trust in the chick.

Each chick eats up to 50 medium-sized crickets per day. This means that in one sitting (once per hour) you should feed 3 similar insects.

You need to feed the chick from 5 a.m. until late in the evening. An older individual can be fed less often, but more plentifully.

An adult bird ready to fly should weigh from 40 to 44 g and have a body length of 20 to 24 cm.

Flight

Don't worry about flying, this skill is inherent at the genetic level. A mature swift should be released in a mown field or other open area. Place your pet on your open palm and raise it above head level. No need to toss.

Ideally, you will feel a slight trembling - the swift will begin to warm up its muscles and will soon fly away. If he lands nearby, it means he is not quite ready for independence. Another 2-3 days of usual care will be required.

Tip: skip 1 feeding shortly before the flight so that the bird has an incentive to take off on its own and look for food.

It is advisable to release a grown-up swift in a place where flocks of relatives are circling, so that it can join one of them.

Swifts are perhaps the most widespread suborder of birds on Earth. Its representatives can be found in almost all countries and on all continents (except, perhaps, Antarctica). In total, ornithologists count about eight dozen species of swifts. There are four representatives of swifts living in Russia; one of them is the black swift, also known as the tower swift, due to its love for high spiers and the almost complete absence of the need to descend to the “sinful earth.” This bird, amazing in many respects, is worthy of a detailed conversation.

What does a bird look like?

Black swift (Latin name Apus apus)- quite a bird small sizes, approximately the same as an ordinary sparrow. At the same time, visually it looks larger, rather resembling the size of a starling, since it has much longer wings than those of a sparrow.

So, the body length of our “hero” is 160-170 mm (for a sparrow, for comparison, 150-180), and the wing length is 165-180 mm, with a wingspan of 420-480 mm (for a sparrow it is at least two times less).

The weight of the bird averages from 30 to 50 g (a sparrow weighs a maximum of 40 g, a starling - about 75 g).

The shape of the tail is the same as that of a swallow, with a notch in the shape of the Latin letter “V”, the length of the tail is about 80 mm. In general, it should be noted that the external similarity between a swift and a swallow is significant - when watching birds in the sky, they can easily be confused. A characteristic difference is the length and shape of the wing (in the swift it is longer and has a characteristic sickle-shaped bend).

The build of Apus apus is dense, the head is large, slightly flattened, a short wide beak with a very large mouth opening is also flattened along the horizontal plane (this shape provides the bird with the ability to easily capture tiny insects that fill the air, just as huge whales suck in small plankton ).
The bird’s legs are strong, but very small, which is not surprising, because for their “direct purpose” (for walking on the ground) this “celestial” practically does not use them. But the fingers have sharp, forward-curved claws, which provide their owner with excellent tenacity and allow them to hold on well even on vertical supports (rocks, walls, etc.).

Did you know? The bird's Latin name "apus" comes from the ancient Greek "ἄπους", which means "legless". Almost all members of the squad are so helpless on the ground that they are not even able to take off due to their wings being too long compared to their short legs. The black swift is the only exception: this bird can make a jump from the ground, and once in the air, it manages to spread its wings.

The structure of the bird's eyes is specific: the lower eyelids are covered with dense plumage, protecting the organs of vision from air currents and collisions with small dust particles or insects, which, given the flight speed of these birds, is very important.

The main color is black with a brown-green tint; there is a white mark only on the throat. In young individuals, feathers have lighter endings, primarily on the wings and forehead.

A distinctive feature of all swifts is a very loud, piercing cry, similar to chirping.

The main habitat of tower swifts is the territory of Europe, including Ukraine, as well as the northern and central parts of Asia (from Transbaikalia in the east to Israel, Palestine and Syria in the west, from the steppe, forest-steppe and partially forest zones of Siberia, up to the border with the tundra in the north , to the Himalayas in the south) and northern Africa.
Although we're talking about about a heat-loving bird, in summer it can fly quite far to the north, not only into the tundra, but even further, right up to the Arctic shores.

So, in states Western Europe The northern border of the habitat of this representative of birds is limited to seventy degrees north latitude; in Siberia, this border runs somewhat further south - at approximately 66-60° north latitude, and in the Urals it corresponds to 60° north latitude.

For “winter quarters,” these intrepid travelers go to Africa and southeast Asia (mostly India, but sometimes they fly to Thailand).

The human occupation of the swifts' natural habitat has led to the fact that today the bird can more often be found in cities than in the “full-fledged” wild nature (perhaps only in Denmark and Finland black swifts choose both urban and forest forms of existence).

Distinctive feature All swifts are driven by their speed. The Apus apus we are considering is capable of accelerating in the air up to 111 km/h and this, by the way, is not the limit (the needle-tailed relatives of the black swift reach a speed of 170-180 km/h). For comparison: the same swallows fly no more than 60 km in an hour.
It is interesting that swifts fly not only quickly (without slowing down even before approaching the nest), but also for a long time. This amazing bird even has the ability to sleep in the sky, catching the rising air current and only from time to time slightly swaying its wings right in its sleep.

Did you know? The fastest bird in the world is the peregrine falcon (a type of falcon). Its limit is 300 km/h. But we are talking about dive speed, that is, movement from top to bottom, while the peregrine falcon makes horizontal flight no faster than 100 km/h, so in this sense, the needle-tailed swift is an absolute record holder!

It is said that the tower swift can spend years in the sky, resting, feeding and even mating on the fly. In fact, this information is somewhat exaggerated, although the reality is indeed impressive.

Thus, Swedish scientists (Lund University) installed special sensors on several dozen birds, and a few years later, having caught 19 individuals from the control group, analyzed the information received and published the results of the experiment in the journal Current Biology.
It turns out that during the year, black swifts behave like any other bird during the nesting period for two months, but the rest of the time they spend no more than 1% of their time out of flight.

Going to warm regions in August, the birds can next touch the ground only ten months later, having already returned to their homeland, while some individuals sometimes sit on tree branches during wintering, but, in principle, they do not feel any particular need for this.

Did you know? Scientists have calculated that the tower swift can cover a distance equal to seven flights to the moon (meaning a round trip) during its life!

Oddly enough, the life of a black swift, so complex in terms of energy costs, is not so short. On average, birds live from seven to ten years, but there are cases when some individuals reached the “honorable” age of 20 years (the recorded record is 21 years).

As was said, there is a period in the life of a black swift when the bird needs to temporarily say goodbye to its usual love of the sky. We are talking about the nesting period.

Returning from wintering in late April - early May, the birds begin their mating season: they look out for a partner, “establish relationships” with him, collect material for building a nest, and finally perform the “act of love” itself (note that all this is still happening in flight!).

For the nest, everything that is directly accessible is used: feathers, fluff, blades of grass, small twigs, straw, leaves, threads, hair, wool, pieces of fabric, etc.
The bird glues the “building materials” selected in this way with its own saliva (an excellent glue that instantly sets in air no worse than cement), ultimately constructing a kind of round bowl with low (no more than 1 cm) sides.

Important! In the wild, black swifts lived on high cliffs, therefore, having become “city dwellers,” these birds retained their passion for heights. If possible, the bird will happily build a nest at 2000 meters above ground level!

The initially built nest is not very large, its diameter usually does not exceed 9 cm with a tray up to 5 cm, however, in the process of refurbishment and renovation, the “house” can grow to more impressive sizes: up to 15 cm in total diameter with a tray width of 7-8 cm, with a side height of 2-3 cm.

True to its name, the tower swift chooses the upper parts of buildings - roofs, places under eaves, cracks, window frames, and in the wild - tree branches, sometimes hollows, as a place to build a nest.

Black swifts are very careful when choosing a place to build a nest, managing to camouflage it so that the shelter can only be discovered when an adult bird appears nearby.

By the end of May, the female lays eggs (usually no more than two) measuring 26 x 16 mm, white in color and elongated in shape in a freshly built dwelling. The female’s task during this period is to incubate the eggs, the male’s task is to obtain food for both (however, some scientists claim that the birds incubate the eggs alternately).
Chicks are usually born at the beginning of June (incubation lasts three weeks). The young are born without feathers and in the first days are completely helpless, but after a few days the first gray fluff covers the chicks’ bodies.

Important! The black swift, like other birds, is a warm-blooded species. But still it has the unique ability to greatly change body temperature depending on conditions external environment, which allows not only chicks, but also adults to fall into a kind of hibernation in particularly cold weather- as a result, the need for energy decreases, and the bird is able to survive.

Parents feed their young for six weeks. As " baby food“Small insects are used, which, with the help of the same miraculous saliva, are glued together into small lumps-briquettes. This allows you to deliver from four hundred to one and a half thousand insects to the nest at a time.

During the day, the bird can bring food to the nest 30-40 times, but it happens that it has to fly far for prey. Interestingly, the cubs can survive without parental care for quite a long time, falling into a kind of suspended animation, accompanied by a decrease in body temperature and slower breathing.

Having survived on the “old supplies” for a week, upon the return of their parents, the kids very quickly make up for lost time through active nutrition.
The innate activity of a small bird leads to the fact that at an early age the chicks very often fall out of the nest, this especially often happens during rain. It is almost impossible to feed such a baby (due to the specifics of the diet), therefore, if there is such a possibility, it is best to return the “prodigal” chick that survived after the fall to the nest (the myth that the parents will not accept it due to the presence of a “human” smell is not true has nothing to do with reality).

Did you know? For several years now, a unique holiday has been held in Jerusalem at the beginning of March, dedicated to the meeting of local tower swifts returning from wintering to the Western Wall and building their nests on it.

Having barely learned to fly, the chicks leave the nest and begin an independent life. In August they head south along with the entire flock, but do not return with adults the following spring, remaining in warm regions 2-3 years, until puberty. But, upon returning to their homeland for the first time, they immediately acquire their own offspring.

The black swift is a flocking bird, this applies to both travel and nesting. Usually the number of individuals in a community is several hundred.

Another amazing feature of black swifts is called the word “philopatry” (literally - love for the homeland). These birds always return exactly to the place from which they flew.

Apus apus feeds exclusively on insects (“aerial plankton”), which the bird catches on the fly, using its wide beak like a net.

Midges, bugs, mosquitoes and flies act as food, but a small predator can also feast on larger prey - butterflies, beetles, spiders, gadflies and other representatives of the world of entomology.

As you know, birds are excellent helpers for humans in the fight against insects harmful to crops, but sometimes they themselves can cause considerable damage to the garden.

Did you know?In some eastern countries(China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and others) even bird nests built from the edible saliva of swifts are used for food - however, we are talking about a different species of the order, because black swifts do not nest in this region. But the love for such a delicacy (its cost can reach up to three thousand dollars) in the 70s of the last century led to the fact that the population of unfortunate birds in the Celestial Empire was almost completely exterminated.

Black swifts do not belong to one or the other of these categories: vegetables, fruits and berries are not part of the diet of these birds, and the insects they eat are not agricultural pests (although swifts are definitely worth thanking for the extermination of mosquitoes and poplar moths).
Thus, a person and a swift could remain neutral towards each other, but, unfortunately, the birds were not lucky.

People noticed that the meat of this bird (especially its chicks) is very tender and tasty, which is why the destruction of nests in some regions of Europe sometimes became widespread.

A bird that spends its entire life in the sky is completely unsuitable for life in captivity. Moreover, the appearance of the swift is not at all as colorful as that of parrots or canaries, and the voice is by no means a nightingale.

Therefore, when it comes to keeping a tower swift at home, we usually mean an attempt to save a found creature (wounded or not yet able to fly), with the goal of subsequently returning it to the wild.

House for the swift

“Legless” birds require a very special approach to housing. Swifts cannot be kept in a cage, since this type of bird is not adapted to walking on the ground, or even to sitting on a perch. In a cage, such a bird will very quickly receive irreparable injuries - broken feathers and wings.

For this reason, for a live find, you need to equip a large box with sides that are at least twice the total length of the bird’s body including the tail. It is fundamentally important that, having spread its wings completely, the “tenant” does not touch the walls of his home with them.
To avoid injury, it is advisable to cover all the walls of the box with soft material, not forgetting to make several holes in them so that the pet does not suffocate (the top of the house must be covered, otherwise the bird will try to get out, which means it may get hurt).

Any moisture-absorbing material from what is sold in pet stores is suitable as bedding, but you can get by with ordinary napkins.

Important! The less lighting in the box, the calmer its occupant will tolerate temporary captivity.

The box should be placed in a dark place so that when the lid opens, the bird does not get scared and injure itself. It is possible, although not necessary, to build a shelter made of soft material inside the box into which your pet can crawl for safety.

Temperature environment should fluctuate between 25-35°C, although swifts tolerate cold and heat well, but a draft can greatly harm them. The best option- if the heat source is located under the bottom of the box, and not on the side or top.

To feed a swift, you don’t have to run through the fields swinging a net (although that’s also an option). Some pet stores sell special food for insectivorous birds. It is not very cheap, but we are talking about a rescue operation!
It is important to know that swifts, unlike swallows, do not immediately react to improper feeding. But this does not make the consequences any less tragic: first of all, the bird begins to lose its flight feathers, and for a creature that spends its entire life in the sky, this is tantamount to a death sentence.

Errors in choosing food also lead to irreversible damage to the liver, the entire digestive system and even the skeleton.

If the problem with insect prey cannot be solved, you can try to find an alternative: use low-fat baby meat puree, low-fat cottage cheese and dry fish food such as Daphnia Magna.

All this is dried, mixed in equal parts with the addition of powdered calcium gluconate tablets and little by little fed to the “sufferer”. But be sure to use any insect that you manage to get close to!
The food should not be cold; It's even better if it's slightly warmed up. The optimal amount of food for a small bird at one time is approximately the volume of one pea.

Important! Chicks should be fed every one and a half to two hours (except at night), for an adult bird three times a day is enough.

• minced meat (the most common mistake);
• mealworms;
• white maggots (fly larvae);
• earthworms;
• dry food for cats or dogs (especially canned food);
• eggs.

When the bird gets stronger, it should be prepared for the solemn moment of returning to freedom, reducing the amount of food to normalize its weight.

It is best to release the swift in the evening, choosing a fine day for this. It is advisable to go to open place, ideally on a hill - but beware of tall grass, this will make it easier for you to find your pet in case of failure.

You can recommend this article to your friends!

You can recommend this article to your friends!

What to feed a swift at home? Everything is quite simple, swifts are insectivores, the nutrition of both adults and chicks is the same. When feeding a swiftlet in captivity, you do not need a variety of food; food crickets and cockroaches, which are always available in large pet stores, are ideal. Unlike songbirds, swifts are not able to digest vegetables, egg and grain feeds, and ready-made mixtures. To better imagine how to feed a swift at home, let's figure out what swifts eat in their natural habitat.

How swifts feed in nature

In nature, swifts feed exclusively on aerial plankton, consisting of flying insects and small and medium-sized spiders raised into the air. They mostly feed at an altitude of about 50-100 meters, but sometimes weather conditions force them to descend closer to the ground. Air currents can bring food much higher, then the birds follow it up to a kilometer from the surface.

Swifts are selective in what they eat and tend to catch the largest prey they can swallow. Birds avoid stinging insects, but do so in ways that ignore their bright warning colors, allowing them to expand their diet to include hoverflies, for example.

While the swift hunts, the insects are collected at the back of the throat in a special food “pouch” (crop) and bound together by saliva into a ball. called a bolus. The swift periodically eats it or takes it to the nest. These food pellets can contain thousands of insects.

In bad weather, a large number of swifts feed above the water, where it is easier to catch prey. Birds generally avoid areas of low pressure and bad weather. They fly with the wind in search of better conditions, flying around areas of rain, so swifts can travel up to 800 kilometers per day.

Swifts drink by catching raindrops or by skimming the surface of the water with their beaks in low flight.

What to feed a swift so as not to harm the bird?

At home, it is best to feed swifts with brownie and banana crickets; they are easy to find in pet stores and are cheap. Also regularly eaten are marbled and Turkmen cockroaches, which are distinguished by their high content of nutrients, are perfectly digestible and have a positive effect on the quality of the chick’s plumage. The hard chitinous parts of crickets and cockroaches are removed, leaving the abdomens.

It is very useful to feed swifts with ant pupae, which contain a large amount of the vitamins they need. Ant pupae can be obtained in the forest or garden. It is allowed to feed the bird wild-caught mosquitoes, flies, and moths. As an addition, you can give finely chopped, washed maggots, but no more than one teaspoon per day; excessive feeding of this fatty food puts a strain on the swift's liver. Under no circumstances should you feed your swift with earthworms, as they contain helminths and are dangerous for swifts!

A zoophobe or mealworm grown on pure raw materials, in the amount of 1-3 pieces per day, is suitable as feeding. The zoophobus and mealworm must be “pressed down” to avoid damage to the esophagus. This is because these beetle larvae have strong jaws. Therefore, before feeding the swift, the heads of the larvae must be crushed or cut off.

There is no need to water swift chicks; they get all their moisture from insects.

What to feed a swift when there are no insects?

Unfortunately, Swifts can only be fed insects. Any other product, for example a boiled egg, causes irreparable damage to their body. No amount of porridge, ready-made feed mixtures, mash is not only capable of replacing natural nutrition, but also causes slow death.

What to feed a swift if there are no insects at hand? There is a one-time feeding option in order to support the life of the swiftlet for the next few hours until they are found. You need high-quality low-fat cottage cheese and dry gammarus. This can be fed no more than 1-2 times.

Be sure to visit your local pet store that specializes in birds. Buy a supply of insects, do not abuse the exception.

How often should you feed swifts?

Weakened and small shearlings are fed every hour from 6:00 to 22:00 with small portions of ground beetles, but they receive food every two or three. It is important to feed the chick tightly, giving it the maximum amount of food and completely filling the goiter.

The crop is a part of the esophagus of most birds, which can expand to perform the following functions: accumulate food, store it and, in some birds, even digest it, and it helps swifts not to be distracted from hunting. A swift's filled crop is a small ball the size of a pea; it can be felt on the bird's neck. A typical meal, for example, is 10 medium-sized crickets or 5 cockroaches.

Swift feeding technique

A healthy and strong little one actively asks for food, pouncing on the hand with food. It is more convenient to feed swift chicks using tweezers.

Swift chick being fed with tweezers

It is much more difficult to feed weakened chicks; even very hungry swifts do not open their mouths. An important condition is that weak swifts are fed with soft gruel from crickets or small feed cockroaches. Feeding is allowed either from a syringe or from a finger. To do this, the haircut must first be fixed well with a shawarma-type napkin.

Usually, even very weakened chicks begin to intensively swallow the nutritious gruel from the cricket. After feeding, you can drop a couple of drops of warm water on the root of the tongue, since weakened swiftlets are severely dehydrated. Feed the weakened chick in small portions every 30-40 minutes.

What to do if you get an emaciated adult swift? Such a swift should be fed with semi-liquid soft food from insects, like a chick, with its beak opening from the side.

home » Earn money online » What do swift chicks eat? Swift. Help and care at home. What to feed a swift other than insects