Map Quiz 13 - answer

Map Quiz 13 was a challenge, but most people responding got it on the first try. This species shows an unusual range in that it occurs along the West Coast, but also inland in the Rockies, throughout Mexico and into the Caribbean! The combination of this range with high frequency in a few key areas (e.g., BC, CO, NM) revealed this species to be the Black Swift.

Black Swifts are among the most poorly understood of North American birds, breeding sparsely on sea cliffs and more frequently in montane areas where they attach their nests to steep walls, frequently behind waterfalls. Essentially unknown on fall migration, there are few records of this species away from breeding areas. Its wintering grounds are essentially unknown at this point, and thought to be in South America. Recent studies on the Colorado population have placed data-loggers on several birds, so hopefully we'll know soon where this bird winters!

To read more about Black Swifts download Rich Levad's 2007 monograph " The Coolest Bird: A Natural History of the Black Swift and Those Who Have Pursued It".