Andean Swift

Andean Swift ( Aeronautes andecolus )

The Andean Swift ( Aeronautes andecolus ) is a species of bird in the family of sailors ( Apodidae ). This species has a large distribution area, which extends over the countries Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. The stock is assessed by the IUCN as endangered not (Least Concern ).

Features

The Andes sailors reach a body length of about 14 centimeters. The top is consistently gray brown. The bottom is much brighter than the top to an almost white color. The cloaca is always white. Neck and rump adorns each a white band, which is not continuous at the neck or is interrupted. The tail feathers are very close together and are only slightly forked, but can be spread out during flight maneuvers.

Behavior

Andes sailors often fly in waves along the mountain slopes. You hear them then call a shrill Zeezeeezee or something quieter Trritrritrri before considering a few minutes later in another area further. Often they slide up on long clip walls. While gliding, the wings are angled slightly.

Distribution and habitat

They move in a semi -arid mountainous areas, mainly through bushes, such as legume and Sumachgewächsen, overgrown slopes. Every now and then you discover they also have trees such as Podocarpus and Polylepis and stony desert land with scattered cacti and jatropha shrubs. Here they are usually at altitudes 2500-3500 meters on the go. In individual cases, the heights can vary even 340-3900 meters.

Breeding and nesting

The Andes sailors nest in holes that are typically under rock ledges near larger Straßenaushebungen, canyons or sometimes enormous cliffs. Otherwise, so far little is known about the breeding behavior.

Subspecies

• Aeronautes andecolus andecolus ( d' Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837) - nominate. Comes in the eastern Andes of Bolivia and Argentina to the south in front to the province of Río Negro.
• Aeronautes andecolus parvulus ( Berlepsch & proud man, 1892) - The dark top is near the eyes, in the region of the jacket and on the sides almost black. The underside is white from the throat to the cloaca and is replaced at the sides by Brown. The neckband is continuous. The subspecies is markedly smaller than the nominate. It is present from the Cajamarca region of northern Peru, to the western slopes of the Andes in the Región de Tarapacá in Chile. Observations, it was also in the arid part of the upper reaches of the Marañón.
• Aeronautes andecolus peruvianus ( Chapman, 1919) - The tail is a little shorter and less forked than in the nominate form. The white part of the plumage is less yellowish brown hues. The crest is much darker. The base of the under tail-coverts has much less white. A. a peruvianus is smaller than the nominate. The distribution area extends across the valleys of the Huancavelica region to Cusco and the intermontane valleys of the rivers Mantaro, Ucayali and Apurimac.

Etymology and systematics

D' Orbigny and Lafresnaye used in their first description the binomials Cypselus andecolus. Only later the species was placed in the genus Aeronautes. The word Aeronautes is composed of the Greek word aer air and Nautes for sailors, Pilot ( Naus = the ship ) together. The specific epithet andecolus is composed of the Latin word for Andium Andes and colere for inhabit together. In its first description called Berlepsch & pride man the subspecies Micropus andecolus parvulus. The trinomen parvulus is the Latin word for very small. The authors mentioned in their description of the significant difference in size to nominate. A. a peruvianus was originally described by Chapman as an independent species Micropus peruvianus. The trinomen peruvianus refers to the country Peru.