Summary ²

The common swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles. Swifts' nearest relatives are thought to be the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Joaquim Maceira Muchaxo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/31318028@N00/532541455
2. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apus_apus

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