Family:
The Alpine swift shares a similar shape with the common swift but is noticeably larger, with a broader body and longer wings. Its upperparts are olive-brown, with black wingtips and a black patch beneath the tail. The underparts are also olive-brown, with by a white belly, a dark breast band, and a white throat. Its head is olive-brown, with dark eyes and brown bill, legs, and feet.
Its plumage pattern resembles that of the barn swallow and house martin, which may be a result of convergent evolution.
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Alpine swifts feed primarily on insects, including bugs, flies, wasps, bees, sawflies, and ants, as well as spiders. Like most swifts, they spend nearly their entire lives in the air, catching prey in their beaks and rarely landing on the ground unless by accident.
The Alpine swift has a wide range, with year-round populations in eastern and southern Africa, southern Europe, and parts of Asia, including Sri Lanka and western India. It breeds in colonies, both in mountainous regions and urban areas. Northern populations migrate south for the winter, spending the colder months in southern Africa.
