Swift-bricks: fancy sex in a swift box or in flight?
by Angus, 24 July, 2020, 1 comments
Swifts are amazing creatures - they migrate from Europe to Africa and back every winter, they cruise at 70mph and in a lifetime they might fly a distance equivalent to three return trips to the moon. There is some question about where swifts actually mate - it is certain that they can copulate in mid-air, but they also routinely mate at their nest sites. Possibly mating on the wing is a lightening quick liaison between individuals that are paired with someone else - a case of a 'swift quickie', that may have the effect of widening the gene pool - even if it's a long shot. Despite all their aerial stunts, they spend about a month every year incubating eggs or brooding chicks on a solid surface such as a ledge or crevice, an old nest or a specifically designed swift box or swift brick. Read more...
