Apodiformes

• Aegothelidae
• Apodidae
• Hemiprocnidae
• Trochilidae
• Common Swift Apus apus

  A summer visitor to the UK, the Common Swift spends almost all its life on the wing, catching small insects and spiders in the air.

• Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba

  The Alpine Swift is a large swift with a pale belly. In a tracking study, one individual was reported to remain almost continuously in flight for more than 200 days.

• Chimney Swift Chaetura pelagica

  Chimney Swifts catch insects in flight and cling to the inside walls of chimneys or tree cavities when they rest.

• Pallid Swift Apus pallidus

  This brown swift has a white throat, breeds from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and winters in the Sahel.

• White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus

  The White-throated Needletail is a large swift with long wings and needle-like tail feathers. It catches insects and drinks while flying, and moves seasonally between northeast Asia and eastern Australia.

• Little Swift Apus affinis

  The Little Swift catches food in the air. In southern Africa it also nests in colonies on bridges and buildings.

• Ruby-throated Hummingbird Archilochus colubris

  A tiny hummingbird that breeds in eastern North America. It hovers while taking nectar from flowers and migrates to Central America in autumn.

• Pacific swift Apus pacificus

  A long-winged bird that catches insects in flight and visits Japan in summer.

• Mexican Violetear Colibri thalassinus

  A green hummingbird with shining violet-blue markings, it visits flowers along highland forest edges and clearings.

• White-necked Jacobin Florisuga mellivora

  The White-necked Jacobin is a large hummingbird with a white neck band and a fan-shaped tail. It visits tropical lowland forest edges, clearings, and gardens, feeding at different heights.

• White-rumped Swift Apus caffer

  A swift that catches insects in flight. In southern Africa, it may breed in nests taken over from other birds.

• Sparkling Violetear Colibri coruscans

  Its green plumage is marked by violet ear feathers and a blue belly patch. It guards flower-rich feeding areas, and males perform acrobatic courtship flights between trees.