It is called "Beijing Swift", but it gathers in Urumqi, thousands of miles away...

Why are there more common swifts—also called Beijing swifts ( Apus apus pekinensis )—over Urumqi than any other city?

Many citizens are asking, we can often see flocks of swallows flying around in places like Nanhu Citizen Square, are these swallows all swifts?

There are two types of swallows, barn martins and swifts. Swifts belong to the family Swiftidae in the order Apodiformes of the class Aves, while barn martins are birds of the genus Hirundo in the family Hirundae.

There are 80-90 species of swifts, and about 13 of them in China, all of which are "three-protected" animals.

The "three-have" protected animals refer to wild animals that are protected by the state and have important environmental and ecological value, are beneficial, and have scientific research value.

The swift, also known as the house martin and the Beijing swift (subspecies Apus apus pekinensis ), is slightly larger than the house martin and is black all over.

It is understood that one of the mascots of the Beijing Olympic Games, "Nini", is based on the swift.

According to observations, swifts are the most common birds in Urumqi in summer. During the breeding season, there are at least tens of thousands of common swifts in Urumqi.

Beijing swifts gather in the sky over Urumqi (Photo by Ma Ming)

Why are swifts so keen on gathering in Urumqi?

It is reported that there are many old courtyards and old-style buildings in Urumqi. These old buildings with many gaps make ideal nests for swifts.

The swifts' nests have been passed down from generation to generation for two or three hundred years.

Ma Ming took photos of swifts flying between buildings and chasing each other.

In addition to building nests in the cracks of old buildings, they also like to breed in the cracks of urban elevated highway bridges.

In recent years, Urumqi has continuously increased its efforts in environmental protection, people's awareness of protecting biodiversity has generally increased, and the city's ecological functions have been continuously optimized, providing a reasonable living environment for creatures including swifts.

Therefore, the liveliness of "swifts come and go, carrying insects to feed their chicks" and the romance of "a man standing alone among falling flowers, and swifts flying in pairs in the light rain" become possible for you and me to encounter on the street.

The Flash who “never lands” (Photo by Ma Ming)

For the citizens of the capital, the swift is a very familiar bird, but not many people know the legendary stories about it.

Swifts have strong flying abilities, but their legs are weak compared to their wings. They cannot jump like other birds and lack the strength to push off, so they are unable to fly after landing on flat ground.

Usually, the aircraft takes off by spreading its wings with the help of gravity, sliding out of caves, cracks in tiles, crevices in walls, and eaves, and flying into the blue sky.

It can fly at a maximum speed of over 200 kilometers per hour, making it the fastest flying bird.

They migrate twice a year (spring and autumn), covering a distance of more than 30,000 km per year.

Swifts can fly in the sky for a long time, up to 10 months without landing. They eat (catch insects), drink water, play, sleep, and mate in the air without having to land to rest.

A master at catching flying insects in the air - it eats everything with its big mouth (Photo by Ma Ming)

Swifts are experts at catching flying insects in the air and have particularly wide beaks.

Swifts eat hundreds of species of insects, including aphids, flying ants, beetles and termites, as well as flies and mosquitoes.

According to statistics, when a swift goes out to forage for food, it can bring back more than 600 small insects in its throat. It is no problem for it to eat millions of insects a year. Swifts play an active role in maintaining the urban ecology.

If we want insectivorous birds like swifts to exist longer, we must protect their habitats, not destroy bird nests, not take bird eggs, not exaggerate the role of bird nests, and minimize the spraying of pesticides in swifts' living areas to create an ecological environment where humans and nature coexist in harmony.