Apus affinis - Little Swift
Feather characters. Barbules are rather short (0.67-0.83 mm) and divided into pigmented nodes and (partly) pigmented (more than 50%) internodes. At low magnification they look like dark, heavily pigmented threads. Borders between cells are visible, but hardly swollen and thus too small to qualify as nodes. These nodal structures (22-26 per mm) have about the same size along the entire length of the barbules, only slightly decreasing towards the tip. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Minute prongs are mostly located on proximal end of barbules on both sides of the pennulum.
Field characters. Size 12 cm. Weight 18 g (14.5-21.5) (Dunning, 1993). Small swift with white rump and short square tail. Adult blackish-brown, with white chin, throat and forehead; flight-feathers and outer tail paler. Tail looks slightly rounded when spread. Flight slower than Swift, more bat-like.
Voice. Rapid, high-pitched 'chee-chee-chee-chee'.
Distribution. Resident in N Africa, at least partly migrant in Middle East. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Breeds in towns and villages, below eaves of buildings, in holes of ruins, under bridges, etc.; also under overhanging rocks and cliffs.
Food. Insects and other flying invertebrates.