Cook's swift (Apus cooki) is a small bird, superficially similar to a house martin. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.
These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The scientific name comes from the Greek απους, apous, meaning "without feet". They never settle voluntarily on the ground. Blyth's swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks.
Cook's swifts breed in limestone caves of Thailand, Myanmar and Indochina. The species has a green iridescence, a shallow tail fork and is a short distance migrant. A 2011 study has many taxonomists splitting this species from the fork-tailed swift complex.
These swifts build their nests on cliffs, laying 2–3 eggs. A swift will return to the same site year after year, rebuilding its nest when necessary.
Cook's swifts are similar in size to common swift, and they are black except for a white rump. They can be distinguished from a partially leucistic common swift by the deeper tail fork, longer wings, bigger head and larger white throat patch.
Common Names (33 locales)
af
Skubborswindswael
ar
سمامة متفرعة الذيل
bg
Индокитайски бързолет
ca
falciot de Cook
cs
rorýs krasový
da
Cooksejler
de
Indochinasegler
en
Cook's Swift
eo
Kukapuso
es
Vencejo de Tailandia
es_EC
Vencejo de Tailandia
es_ES
Vencejo de Tailandia
es_MX
Vencejo de Tailandia
et
indohiina piiritaja (indohiina piirpääsuke)
fa
بادقپک کوک
fr
Martinet de Cook
it
Rondone di Cook
ja
クックアマツバメ
lt
Indokininis čiurlys
nl
Indochinese gierzwaluw
no
buddhaseiler
pl
jerzyk czarnogrzbiety
pt
cook's swift
pt_PT
Cook's swift
ru
Индокитайский стриж
sk
dážďovník indočínsky
sr
Vijetnamska čiopa
sv
karstseglare
th
นกแอ่นตะโพกขาวแถบแคบ
tr
Cook Ebabili
uk
Серпокрилець таїландський
zh
印支白腰雨燕
zh-CN
印支白腰雨燕