Do swifts live at home. How to feed a swift at home if there are no insects

It often happens that the chicks fall out of the nests. Some survive, and some, as a result of the fall, injure themselves. What to do if you find a swift chick? How to feed this extremely picky bird at home? First of all, if you suddenly find a chick, you should determine who is in front of you, that is, a swift or a swallow. Swallows have three toes pointing forward and one back. In black swifts, everything is different: they have four fingers forward, like a foot. Well, adults are easy to identify: the swallow has a white shirt-front on its chest.

And so, you made sure that you have in your hands not a sparrow, not a killer whale, and not even a wagtail, but a real black swift or Apus apus. And what to feed the foundling? In the EU countries there are special shelters for wild birds and wild animals, where they are monitored by specialists and nursed, if necessary. In our country, everything is different - all hope is for the patience and mercy of ordinary people. And then, this is not enough, because you still need to know how to feed the foundling, since the wrong food can lead to trouble.

What do young chicks eat and how often? Parents feed their chicks about sixty times a day, but a foundling can get by with one dose of food per hour. The diet consists of insects crushed in the beak of the parents and compressed into a ball with the help of their saliva. Such bird food is thrust into the chicks deep in the throat. But what about an ordinary person who found a swift chick? If you see that the chick is weak, then it must be watered. To do this, prepare an insulin syringe with a removable needle. You collect about two or three cubes of boiled warm water, wrap the chick in a napkin and take it with your left hand. With your right hand, open the beak with gentle movements and drop the liquid onto the tongue. A weakened haircut needs to be provided with heating and this can be done with a heating pad or a lamp. And now let's move on to the main question: What and how to feed a haircut? At first, you can give the chick meat baby food. Roll up the ball and place it on the base of the tongue. But such a diet should not be constant, only about two days, no more. Do not forget that these birds are insectivorous. Bread, eggs and food for dogs, parrots and cats are contraindicated. Only flies, crickets, drones, wax moths and ant eggs. All this is sold in pet stores. And if you contact the local association of beekeepers, they will help you get drones. You can buy fly larvae at the fisherman's shop. Place half of the larvae in a warm place so that adult insects hatch. If you follow our recommendations, then you will grow an excellent swift.

Swifts are perhaps the most common 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. Four representatives of the swifts live in Russia; one of them is the black swift, also known as the tower, because of the love of 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 discussion.

What does a bird look like

Black swift (Latin name Apus apus)- a bird of very small size, about the same as an ordinary sparrow. At the same time, visually, it looks larger, rather resembling a starling in size, since it has wings that are much longer 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, in a span of 420-480 mm (for a sparrow, at least two times less).

The weight of a bird is on average 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 the swift and the swallow is significant - 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, and a short wide beak with a very large mouth 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 like huge whales suck small plankton into themselves ).
The legs of the bird are strong, but very small, which is not surprising, because for their “intended purpose” (for walking on the ground), this “celestial being” 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 well even on vertical supports (rocks, walls, etc.).

Did you know? The Latin name of the bird "apus" comes from the ancient Greek "ἄπους", which means "legless". Almost all members of the detachment are so helpless on the ground that they are not even able to take off due to too long wings compared to 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, which protects 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 relevant.

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 on the 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 zone of Siberia, up to the border with the tundra in the north , to the Himalayas in the south) and northern Africa.
Although we are talking about a heat-loving bird, in summer it can fly quite far to the north, not only into the tundra, but even further, up to the Arctic coast.

So, in the states of 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 to the south - approximately at the level of 66-60 ° north latitude, and in the Urals corresponds to 60 ° north latitude.

These intrepid travelers go to Africa and Southeast Asia (mostly to India, but sometimes to Thailand) for "winter apartments".

The capture by humans of the natural habitat of swifts has led to the fact that today the bird can be found more often 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).

A distinctive feature of all swifts is 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 develop a speed of 170-180 km / h). For comparison: the same swallows fly no more than 60 km per 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 an updraft of air and only slightly shaking its wings from time to time right in a dream.

Did you know? The fastest bird in the world is the peregrine falcon (a kind of falcon). Its limit is 300 km/h. But we are talking about the speed of diving, that is, moving from top to bottom, while the peregrine falcon makes a horizontal flight no faster than at the level of 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 really impressive.

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

Going to warmer climes in August, the next time the birds can touch the ground only after ten months, having already returned to their homeland, while some individuals sometimes sit on tree branches during wintering, but, in principle, they do not feel much need for this.

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

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

As it was said, there is a period in the life of a black swift when the bird needs to temporarily say goodbye to the usual love for the sky. This is the breeding season.

Having returned from wintering in late April - early May, the birds begin their mating season: they look out for a partner, "establish relations" 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 in direct accessibility 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 seizes in the air no worse than cement), eventually constructing a kind of round bowl with low (no more than 1 cm) sides.

Important! In the wild, black swifts lived on high rocks, therefore, having become "city dwellers", these birds retained their addiction to heights. If there is such an opportunity, the bird will gladly build a nest at a level of 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.

The tower swift, justifying its name, chooses the upper parts of buildings - roofs, places under cornices, crevices, window trims, and in the wild - tree branches, sometimes hollows, as a place for arranging a nest.

Black Swifts are very careful when choosing a place to build a nest, managing to disguise it in such a way that it is possible to find a shelter only when an adult bird appears nearby.

By the end of May, the female lays eggs in a freshly built dwelling (usually no more than two), 26 x 16 mm in size, white and elongated. The task of the female during this period is to incubate the eggs, the task of the male is to obtain food for both (however, some scientists argue that the birds incubate the eggs in turn).
The birth of chicks usually occurs in early June (hatching lasts three weeks). The young are born without plumage and are completely helpless in the first days, but after a few days the body of the chicks is covered with the first gray fluff.

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

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

During the day, a bird can bring food to the nest 30-40 times, but it happens that you have to fly far for prey. It is interesting that cubs can do without parental care for quite a long time, falling into a kind of anabiosis, accompanied by a decrease in body temperature and slowing down of breathing.

Having held out on the “old stocks” for a week, the kids, upon the return of their parents, very quickly make up for lost time due to 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, especially often this happens during rain. It is almost impossible to feed such a cub (due to the specifics of the diet), therefore, if there is such a possibility, it is best to return the surviving after the fall of the “prodigal” chick to the nest (the myth that parents will not accept it because of the presence of a “human” smell is not has nothing to do with reality).

Did you know? For several years in a row, in Jerusalem, at the beginning of March, a kind of holiday has been held, dedicated to the meeting of local tower swifts, returning from wintering to the Wailing 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 with the whole flock, but do not return with adults next spring, remaining in warm regions for 2-3 years, until they reach sexual maturity. But, having returned 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 the community is several hundred.

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

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

Midges, insects, 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 harm to a garden or vegetable garden.

Did you know?In some eastern countries (China, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and others), even bird nests built from the edible saliva of swifts are eaten - however, we are talking about a different kind of detachment, 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 in the Celestial Empire the population of unfortunate birds was almost completely exterminated.

Black swifts do not belong to either 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 man and a swift could be 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, it usually means an attempt to save the found creature (wounded or not yet able to fly), with the aim of subsequently returning it to freedom.

house for the swift

"Legsless" birds require a very special approach to housing. The swift cannot be kept in a cage, since this species of birds is not adapted either 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, it is necessary to equip a large box with sides 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 dwelling with them.
In order to avoid injuries, it is advisable to cover all the walls of the box with soft material, while not forgetting to make several holes in them so that the pet does not suffocate (the house must be covered from above, otherwise the bird will try to get out, which means it may suffer).

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

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

The box should be placed in a dark place so that at the moment when the lid opens, the bird is not frightened and does not injure itself. It is possible, although not necessary, to build a shelter made of soft material inside the box, where the pet can crawl in search of safety.

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

To feed a swift, it is not necessary to run around the fields, waving a net (although this is 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 less tragic: first of all, the bird begins to lose its flight feathers, and this is tantamount to a death sentence for a creature that spends its whole life in the sky.

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

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

All this is dried, mixed in equal proportions with the addition of a tablet of calcium gluconate crushed into powder, and little by little fed to the “sufferer”. But any insect that you managed to get close to - use it!
The food should not be cold; it is even better if it is slightly warmed up. The optimal amount of food for a small bird at a 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);
flour worms;
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 weight.

It is best to release the swift in the evening, choosing a fine day for this. It is advisable to get out into an open place, ideally on a hill - but beware of tall grass, so it will be easier for you to find your pet in case of failure.
They take the bird in an outstretched hand, raise it higher and open the palm, giving the feathered the opportunity to make a decision on their own. If this does not happen, gently toss the swift, but if the first attempt ends in a fall, postpone the event for a couple of days.

The black swift is an amazing bird whose whole life is connected with the sky, speed and long distances. It is impossible to keep such a pet in captivity, the only exception can be attempts to save the life of a wounded or fragile bird, which is temporarily unable to fly normally. But this task is difficult, and not everyone can successfully solve it and not always.

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Do you often look out the window or look at the sky in the summer, leaving for work early in the morning and returning from work late in the evening from Monday to Friday? In a heap of momentary troubles, constant dissatisfaction with life, resentment, 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 blind. Today, with surprise, I noticed flocks of swifts flying right in front of my window and making a piercing squeak. But these birds fly to us in the first half of May, and from South Africa! Our swifts can be observed by semi-wild African tribes, who still use homemade spears for hunting and live in clay shacks. Here is such a hello to them from us and to us from them. For example, Egypt, where many Russians like to relax and where it takes 4-5 hours to fly by plane from Moscow, is only North Africa.

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

Unfortunately, we have never been able to feed the cubs and after a while they died. But don't despair, we can help!

Common misconceptions

I always thought that swifts cannot take off from the ground, they supposedly need to fall down from a height to fly. Actually, it is not. Adult birds take off perfectly from clear ground, without obstacles in the form of thick grass and other irregularities that can interfere with takeoff. If an 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, then the parents will not accept it, as they will smell the person. Even if they accept, they would only find that nest!

How to help?

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

"Association of Bird Lovers", St. Petersburg.
"Green Parrot", Moscow.
"Birds Without Borders" A. I. Kuindzhi, Ryazan region.
"Chamomile", Tver region.
"Phoenix", Kaluga.
"Smolenskoye Poozerye", Smolensk.
Simbirsk Wild Bird Rescue Center, Ulyanovsk.

If the center is not nearby, contact the city veterinary clinic or veterinary station.

Initial steps:

Determine who you found - a chick or an adult. Babies have white edging on large flight wings, and white specks can be seen on their heads. Chicks are also distinguished by the tubes from which feathers open.
Perform a general visual inspection - for visible damage and injuries, if the integrity of the plumage is broken. Carefully inspect the wings and legs. Compare body parts in pairs - they should not differ much. If one wing is lower than the other and dangles uncharacteristically, it is probably broken. A broken foot can also dangle. If a fracture is suspected, only a veterinarian can help. If the bird's keel sticks out noticeably, and there are few muscles around it, then most likely the bird is emaciated and will need to be fattened.
If there are no visible injuries, but the swift looks lethargic and inactive, it is also necessary to take it to the veterinarian for testing in order to exclude common infectious diseases. It should be checked for ornithosis, salmonellosis, fungi, bacteria, protozoa, helminths, influenza virus. When dealing with a bird, observe the rules of personal hygiene, wash your hands with soap and water after each contact, especially after cleaning the droppings.
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). Heating pads, hot water bottles are also suitable.
Check if the swift is able to eat. To do this, take a small insulin syringe, draw 0.2 ml of warm boiled water from the kettle into it and gently drop 1 drop into the beak, trying to get on the tongue. If the bird swallows at the same time, then the swallowing reflex is preserved. This is a good sign!
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, which will 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 cheesecloth. Place a 40-60 W lamp nearby for warming up (the light should not fall on the nest).
It is impossible to wash or trim the feathers of the swift. Wipe them gently with a chamomile solution as much as possible.

Feeding rules

Swifts feed on compressed lumps of insects 50-70 times a day. In the early 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 (available 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 a boiled chicken egg (a mushy protein and only a little), raw chicken fillet, finely chopped to a pate (mix with water to become thin).

Insects in the diet will still have to be added. Suitable maggots (you can buy in stores for fishermen), drones, crickets, ant eggs, moths, caterpillars, 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 the freezer. They are mixed into a single mass, a little water is added, balls are rolled up and put into the freezer, covered with paper or foil on top.

Bread and grains are not suitable for food - the chick will die. Milk will cause permanent 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 session of eating, 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 fix the gap with the tip of your index finger.

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

Each chick eats up to 50 medium-sized crickets per day. This means that in one sitting (1 time per hour) 3 similar insects should be fed.

You need to feed the chick from 5 o'clock in the morning 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 laid down at the genetic level. It is necessary to release a strengthened swift on a mowed field or other open area. Place your pet on an open palm and raise it above head level. No need to toss.

Ideally, you will feel a slight shiver - the swift will begin to warm up the muscles and soon fly away. If he lands nearby, it means that he is not yet quite ready for independence. It will take another 2-3 days of the usual care.

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

It is advisable to release the grown swift in a place where flocks of relatives are circling so that he can join one of them.

MARTLET
(Apus apus)
Kingdom: Animals
Type: Chordates
Class: Birds
Order: Swifts
Family: Swift
Genus: Swifts
Species: Black Swift

This bird is the most frequent patient during the summer period. Especially when the chicks appear, and they begin to grow feathers and try to get up on the wing.

The swift is a small bird, it is similar in size to a sparrow, has long wings that, when folded, protrude beyond the tail. The shape of the head resembles the head of a bird of prey. At first glance, the eyes of the swift are black, but if you look closely, you can see the pupils, this is such a natural protection for the swift, since the swifts are under the bright sun all day.

They often confuse the swift with the swallow, they have an external resemblance, but the swallows have a white breast. The plumage of the swift has a brownish-black color with a slight greenish tint. In summer, in the sun, the feathers burn out strongly, and the color becomes paler. The beak and legs of the bird are black. On the paws, the fingers are small and all four are directed forward. The wing length reaches 15-18 cm, the weight of an adult bird ranges from 60-110 g. To distinguish a swift from a swallow, you need to compare their fingers on their paws. As we already know, the swift has all 4 fingers pointing forward, while the swallow has only three forward and one back. Nature does nothing for nothing, the swift needs such an arrangement of fingers so that, like a climber, he can climb the rear walls and trees. But it is easier for swallows with such an arrangement of fingers to sit on branches.

Swift inhabits almost all of Europe, with the exception of its tundra part, it can be found in Northwest Africa. It inhabits the territory beyond the Urals and up to Transbaikalia, capturing the Liaodun Peninsula, spreading north to 62-65 ° north latitude, south to Palestine, Syria and the Himalayas. For winter, black swifts fly to Africa, occupying its entire southern part from the equator to the southern tip of the mainland, as well as the island of Madagascar. At this point in time, the swift can be considered 100% an urban bird. Its nests are also found in rural areas, especially where there are stone buildings - churches, calves, cowsheds and grain stores. On the territory of Transbaikalia, the black swift lives only in forests, and in urban conditions it is replaced by another species - the white-belted swift.

Black swifts in Finland nest both in forests and in places where people live. Swifts have certain ecological features that scientists have discovered. One of them means that black swifts arrive late, and their arrival means the onset of stable warm weather. However, swifts do not arrive all at once, as has recently been suggested. Ornithologists in England have found that the arrival of birds is extended in time and lasts depending on weather conditions, on average this period ranges from 18 to 27 days. Most often, swifts arrive in small batches, with breaks of one or two or even several days.

Two or three days after arrival, black swifts start building a nest. Construction lasts 8 days. After the nest is built, the female Most often, she lays 2-3 eggs. As a rule, there is one clutch per year. Both birds sit on the eggs. The duration of the incubation period for swifts ranges from 11-16 days. The weather influences the timing of incubation. In cold, rainy weather, swifts may lack food, and thus spend very little time in the nest, thereby disrupting the hatching process. There are times when birds get rid of eggs, this is a kind of survival instinct in a hungry time.

Hatched chicks leave the nest at 38-39 days, and in unfavorable years they can stay in the nest for up to 56 days. Black swift chicks are strictly homothermal (warm-blooded) creatures. When fasting, the body temperature of the chicks becomes unstable, and sometimes drops to 20*C. However, the bird does not suffer from it, because when the temperature drops, the swifts fall into a temporary stupor, and in this state they are able to survive without harm to themselves fasting for 9 or even 12 days. This phenomenon is due to the fact that in places where black swifts live, summers are different and there are colds, and as a result, there is a lack of food. When the chicks fall into a stupor, adult birds leave them unattended and migrate for several days to places where food conditions are better. This phenomenon is known as summer or weather migration. Swifts fly away from nesting places at a distance of 40-70 km.

Swifts sleep hanging on an almost vertical surface, they spend the night on the foliage of trees, or on roofs, attics of buildings, or in nests.

Help the swifts.
You have found a swift and you need to determine whether it is a chick or an adult bird. The chick can be identified by the white edging on the large primary feathers, the presence of tubules from which the feathers open, and white speckles on the head. Next, we inspect the bird. We are looking for external violations and deviations from the norm. We look at the presence and integrity of the plumage. We examine the wings, paws for grasses, bruises and fractures. If the wing is damaged, it will be visible externally, the diseased wing will be lower, it will be below shoulder level. When examining, always compare paired body parts. Spread the feathers on the wings and inspect for hematomas, wounds and thickenings that may indicate a violation of the integrity of the tissues. The same inspection should be carried out on the paws. Carefully inspect the breastbone, especially the keel and the presence of muscles on the breastbone. If the keel sticks out strongly and the muscular frame is smoothed along the edges, then this may indicate a possible exhaustion of the bird. Here the bird will need to be fed. If the wing or foot dangles, then this may indicate a possible fracture. In this case, you need to urgently see a specialist. Its effectiveness depends on the timely assistance provided.

If there are no external injuries, but the bird is lethargic and weakened, then infectious diseases should be ruled out. Here you need to take tests for bird flu, ornithosis, salmonellosis, protozoa, helminths, bacteriological culture and fungi. During the examination, observe personal hygiene measures. Wash hands before and after contact and clean up litter every day.

If the bird is inactive and has no appetite, then it must be warmed up. For this purpose, you can use incandescent lamps with a power of 40-60 W, at a distance of 50 cm from the bottom. You can use heating pads, bottles filled with hot water. And do not forget about feeding the bird, since it feeds in flight, then on the ground it cannot actually forage. First of all, you need to check for the presence of a swallowing reflex. Take an insulin syringe with a removable head, draw 0.2-0.3 ml of warm boiled water into it and drip into the beak drop by drop onto the tongue. The bird should swallow, it will be noticeable when it swallows. This is important for feeding in the beak.

When feeding, it is important to remember that swifts are insectivorous birds and the basis of their diet should be insects. Most often, chicks are picked up on the street. Under natural conditions, adult birds feed chicks (about 50-70 times a day) with compressed wads of food, consisting of various types of insects, which they catch on the fly.

If you do not immediately have the opportunity to purchase insects, then the first two days you can use children's lean meat puree, turkey and beef. It can be given to the bird through an insulin syringe. If the chick is small, then it needs to be fed every hour, approximately 0.3-0.5 ml of puree at a time. But still, insects cannot be dispensed with, otherwise the feather will become fragile and brittle. And so, the following insects can be used to feed swifts: crickets, drones, wax moths, fly larvae and ant eggs. You can not give flour worms, there is a risk of picking up a helminthic invasion. You can not give bread and grains. (It is not recommended to use ready-made food for insectivorous birds, according to the owners of rearing birds, there are cases of poisoning.) And do not forget to feed live insects, this is important for swifts. After each feeding, do not forget to give the swift water to drink, 4-5 drops per beak (Regardless of feeding the birds with insects, additional vitamins and minerals must be added to the diet). Before feeding, free insects from foreign objects, remove protruding parts of the body. It is advisable to soak dry insects in warm water before eating, this can be done together with frozen insects. The food needs to be at room temperature.

Before feeding, take the chick and wrap it in a handkerchief or napkin so that there is one head outside. This is necessary so as not to injure or stain the feathers. Take the bird in your left hand, gently open the gap of the beak with your right hand, fix the open beak with the index finger of your left hand. With your right hand, using tweezers, take the cleaned insect and lay it at the very bottom of the pharynx deep into the oral cavity at the base of the tongue. Remember to wash your hands before feeding. After feeding, try to stroke the throat plumage, this will have a calming effect on the chick and create a trusting relationship between you. Dry insects can be mixed to grind to a homogeneous mass, add a little water for a bunch. Roll up walnut-sized balls from this homogeneous mass and wrap each such nut in foil and freeze in the refrigerator. This "nut" is enough for a day of feeding. You can also freeze whole insects (In the early days, in the absence of insects, you can make a feed mash: mix fat-free scalded non-acidic cottage cheese (0%) with daphnia or gammarus, roll up balls and feed them. Per day - you can give up to 50 of these balls (size with a cherry pit.) Or up to 50 medium crickets.) . As a source of minerals during food preparation, bone meal, one third of a teaspoon per 50 grams of food and 2-4 drops of poly, multivitamins can be added to it. With age, the number of feedings per day decreases, and the amount of food at a time increases. Be sure to control the weight of the bird. Also monitor the droppings, if there are undigested pieces of chitin, wings, and so on in the droppings, then (this is within the normal range, this always happens under natural conditions). An adult bird ready to fly should have a body weight of 40-44 grams. The body length of a bird ready for independent life reaches 20-24 cm.

It is desirable to keep the bird in a half-open plastic box, 40 cm long, 30 cm wide and 15-20 cm high. Bird cages are not recommended, as swifts can injure feathers on the bars of the lattice. At the bottom, you can lay an absorbent paper towel, you must make a nest for the bird. It is located in a dark place. The nest should be in the form of a circle with a recess. As a material, foam can be used. The top of the box can be closed with gauze. The temperature in the box should be between 23-27 *C. The box can be heated by placing a 40-60 W table lamp next to it, use an incandescent lamp. It is not recommended to wash the bird, in extreme cases, it is possible with a solution of chamomile and very carefully. Feathers cannot be trimmed, they will not be renewed until the next molt, and some flight feathers do not change for two years. Do not forget a good, healthy plumage will enable your pet to survive in the wild.

Parents do not teach swift chicks to fly, they have the ability to fly at the genetic level. The bird is ready to fly if its weight is 40-45 grams, the plumage has grown and completely freed from the tubes. Flight feathers should reach 15-16 cm and 3-3.5 cm should protrude beyond the tail feathers. To release a swift, you need to choose a large space, a mowed meadow, a field. Hold the bird in an open palm, raising your hand just above your head, you don’t need to throw it up, the bird ready to fly will fly by itself. When you pick up the bird, it will shiver slightly, thus warming up the muscles, preparing itself for flight. As a rule, the bird itself flies away. If the bird, having taken off, flew away a short distance, landed on the ground or on a tree, then the bird is not yet ready. You need to wait 2-3 days, wait for good weather and try again. Try not to feed the bird before the flight, hunger activates the instincts of searching for food, thereby awakening the bird to flight. It is very useful for the flight of a bird if there is a flock of swifts nearby, since the bird, having flown out, immediately tries to find a flock and cling to it.

Take care and love your pets, and they will love you back.

People often keep tropical birds in apartments. Swifts and swallows are not kept at home, but sometimes there are unusual situations when you need to take care of the bird. There can be many different cases, for example, a bird can get hurt and not fly away with everyone to warm countries. To help a feathered fellow, a person takes him to his home. But it is not enough to show compassion and bring the bird home, you need to know how to feed the swift at home if there are no insects.

Swift food in nature

The black swift leads a special lifestyle and is able to fly up to 800 kilometers every day in search of food. This need is explained by the search for suitable flying insects and spiders.

Birds rarely descend below 100 meters. They can go down only in case of bad weather. On a sunny day, swifts soar high in the sky. When choosing food, they are often picky, preferring only large individuals.

They do not swallow the caught insects immediately, but place them in the goiter and treat with saliva, forming a ball. Birds eat such a product or take it to the nest. The lump is called a bolus. One such ball contains several thousand insects.

Home diet: benefits and harms

Being an insectivorous bird, the swift will not be able to eat human food. If you need to keep a swift at home, then It is better to purchase at a pet store or get it yourself:

crickets;
Turkmen cockroaches;
ant pupae (they must be obtained independently);
blowfly larvae (maggots);
mosquitoes;
bloodworms;
ordinary flies.