Unique bird found in Tovuz [PHOTO]

4 July 2018 15:10 (UTC+04:00)

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By Laman Ismayilova

A unique bird has been found in the country.

Tovuz resident Arif Abbasov found common swift in his yard.

The common swift or Apus apus can stay in the air for up to 10 months without stopping.

Elchin Sultanov, head of the Ornithological group at the Institute of Zoology, told local journalists that this bird is typical for the Azerbaijan. However, common swifts can rarely be found on land as they spend most of their live in the air.

The common swift performs most activities in the air, including feeding, preening, playing, sleeping and mating. In fact, it only lands to feed or multiply.

Common swifts are 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in) long with a wingspan of 38–40 cm (15–16 in) and entirely blackish-brown except for a small white or pale grey patch on their chins which is not visible from a distance. They have a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang.

Swifts may nest in former woodpecker tree burrows found in ancient forests.

Young nesting swifts are able to survive for a few days without food by dropping their body temperature and metabolic rate, entering a torpid state.

They are migratory. Their summer breeding range runs from Portugal and Ireland in the West across to China and Siberia in the East. Common swifts breed as far south as Northern Africa with a presence in the Middle East in Israel, Lebanon and Syria, the Near East across Turkey, and the whole of Europe as far north as Norway, Finland, and most of sub-Arctic Russia.

Azerbaijan amazes its visitors with its diverse and incredible tourist destinations, majestic mountains, thick forests and fairylike lakes. The vast and diverse territory endows the country with some of the most beautiful natural scenery on earth.

One of such magnificent places is Tovuz, which is located in the western part of Azerbaijan on the border with Georgia.

Here, the diversity of nature and warm and cheerful atmosphere will make you want to stroll through region and discover all its riches.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova