At aperitif time
With us, the swift generally arrives from Africa between 20 and 25 April and leaves at the beginning of August. In short, in France, this migratory sparrow spends its life in summer. In town, we notice it especially at aperitif time on the terrace, on beautiful summer evenings, when the heat subsides. Another more bucolic spot to catch a glimpse of it: the azure, above the fields and lakes…
At dusk, her little winged figure streaks the sky, and her little cries tear through the air, as I flap my wings frantically and fly around like a madman, in herds with my brothers and sisters, before soaring to the edge of the stratosphere and therefore of oxygen. There, he sleeps partly, half of his brain on standby, the other in deep sleep, like a good migratory bird.
Please stop confusing it with the bat, which also comes out at night, or with its hunting friend, the swallow! To recognize it, it’s simple. Its plumage is dark, its throat clear, and it holds my long, slender wings, with a wingspan of about 42 cm, backwards, still stretched out like a horseshoe.
Ideal measurements
The measurements of the swift are ideal: 17 cm, on average, for a weight of 38 to 45 g. It is true that it feeds only on small insects which it hunts by flying, twenty-four hours a day, day and night, its beak always wide open so as not to miss any prey. It sleeps and even mates in flight! In short, it only arises during nesting. No time to get fat… Or to let yourself be tamed, even if he’s not shy for two cents.
He drinks like a Canadair
His trick: always in a hurry, he drinks like a Canadair, skimming the surface of the water. It is true that his legs are so reduced that if he lands, he can no longer take off…