The Black Swift is a large swift breeding in western North America. As an adult, entirely blackish plumage with faint whitish areas are on the side of the forehead-- sometimes as noticeable as a frosty brow in flying birds. Adults also possess a variable amount of white edgings on belly-feathers, which is more prominent in females. Juvenal-plumaged birds have extensive white edging or scaling on body- and flight-feathers. Over most of its range, the Black Swift is the only dark swift with a notched tail.

References cited in Species Profile

• Collins, C. T., and M. J. Landy. 1968. Breeding of the Black Swift in Veracruz, Mexico. Bull. S. California Acad. Sci. 67:226-268
• Foerster, K. S. 1987. The distribution and breeding biology of the Black Swift Cypseloides niger in southern California. M. Sc. Thesis, California State Univ., Long Beach, CA.
• Howell, S. M. G. and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford Univ. Press, New York.
• Johnston, D. W. 1961. Salivary glands in the Black Swift. Condor 63:338
• Marín, M. 1999b. Food, foraging, and timing of breeding of the Black Swift in California. Wilson Bull. 111:30-37.
• Rathbun, S. F. 1925. The Black Swift and its habits. Auk 42:497-516.
• Vrooman, A. G. 1901. Discovery of the egg of the Black Swift. Auk 18: 394-395
• Vrooman, A. G. 1905. Discovery of the second egg of the Black Swift. Condor 7: 176-177.