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Alpine swift

Tachymarptis melba

Description:

Large swift, much larger than other species present in the region; with 20 to 25 cm of length, and over 50 cm in wingspan. Plain brown above, with pure white belly patch and white throat - in between the two white patches, it sports brown "necklace". Very dark, blackish "mask" on each eye.

Habitat:

The Alpine swift is a migratory bird, spend winters in Southern Africa, and breeds, always in large colonies, in Southern Europe. It usually nests in high cliffs, but became accustomed to tall buildings - to the point that, for example in Dubrovnik, it became a symbol of the town, benefiting from legal protection. Indeed, it is impossible to imagine the town and the town center without their loud twittering and without their constant flying over it - (alpine swift sleeps and drinks on the wing, and rarely settles down, unless to feed the chick)

Notes:

Alpine swifts are locally known as "bijele čiope". Here, we did not get a full story, but it seems that the bird has fallen on the ground and was unable to fly away (I'm not sure about it, but I heard that they are unable to fly away from the ground; they need to through themselves from the cliff into the void in order to take the wing...). A guy working on the beach saved it from the cat, and was looking after it for some time, until the bird recuperates; and was about to take it to the local vet...

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Zlatan Celebic
Spotted by
Zlatan Celebic

Dubrovnik, Dubrovačko-neretvanska županija, Croatia

Spotted on Aug 16, 2018
Submitted on Aug 16, 2018

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