White-collared Swift
At a Glance
             This big swift is common and widespread in the American tropics, where it is often seen in large, noisy flocks over any kind of terrain. Stray individuals have wandered north of the Mexican border on several occasions, appearing at various points along the Gulf Coast and at scattered other locations from California to Michigan and Ontario. 
          
          
             All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from  by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. 
          
        
        Category      
      
        Swallow-like Birds
      
    
        IUCN Status      
      
        Least Concern
      
    
        Habitat      
      
        Coasts and Shorelines, Fields, Meadows, and Grasslands, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
      
    
        Behavior      
      
        Flap/Glide
      
    Range & Identification
Description
     9 1/2" (22 cm). A very large swift with a fairly long, forked tail. Black all over with a distinct white collar, duller on immatures. 
  
  
        Size      
      
        About the size of a Robin
      
    
        Wing Shape      
      
        Long, Narrow, Pointed, Tapered
      
    
        Tail Shape      
      
        Forked, Notched
      
    Songs and Calls
     Twittering, scratchy “chee, chee, chee”. 
  
  
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