Talk:Swift

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Swift is included in the 2007 Wikipedia for Schools, or is a candidate for inclusion in future versions. Please maintain high quality standards, and make an extra effort to include free images, because non-free images cannot be used on the CDs.

These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead on vertical surfaces. This tradition continued into the middle ages, as see in the heraldic martlet. What is this supposed to mean? Is perching vertically a "tradition" or that perching vertically continued into the middle ages but since that time swifts changed over to perching in some other fashtion? Is something missing or was removed in the midst of the paragraph that would lend some sense to it?

should make more sense now. jimfbleak 05:52, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Photo

It would be good to have a photograph of a swift. Snowman 09:39, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

We have a family of them on our front porch. I managed a photograph of the nest and babies, but the parents left in a huff! I'll keep trying! Sarum blue 01:34, 15 June 2006 (UTC)
OK, I made two photos. Don't know where to put them within this nice scientific article, but look for CommonSwift.jpg and ApusApus.jpg. I uploaded them into Wikipedia. I hesitate to put them in the article unless somebody else agrees the quality is good enough.

Sarum blue 01:46, 16 June 2006 (UTC)


[edit] Distribution

article does not tell distribution of swifts except for mentioning that they winter in the tropics. where do they spend the summer? do they spend most of their time over water or over land? Richard Dawkins writes in Climbing Mt. Improbable that swifts *sleep* while in flight.

I think you are referring to the Common Swift jimfbleak 05:11, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Agree with the above point: opening paragraph should mention distribution of swifts, but currently no mention at all.

distribution added in text Jimfbleak (talk) 05:17, 7 March 2008 (UTC)