Vaux's Swift

The Vaux's Swift spends most Of its time in the air, flying gracefully over lakes and for-
est tree tops in search of insects. Often visible only as a speck in the sky, this bird
feeds, drinks, bathes and even mates on the wing—only brief cliff-clinging rest peri-
ods and nesting duties keep it out of the air. Swifts are small, fast-flying birds with
long wings, small bills, wide mouth gapes and sleek bodies. Look for their distinctive
flight pattern: a rapid series of strokes interspersed with short glides.
The smallest of British Columbia's three swift species, the Vaux's Swift often nests in
coniferous snags on the North Shore mountains. In autumn, it travels to warmer des-
tinations in South America.

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