SUPER SWIFTS

Learn about common swifts and their remarkable journeys.

The author of Narwhal (2022), illustrated by Jo Weaver, turns his attention to a bird well known in his native Great Britain. Swifts, he notes, fly faster and stay in the air longer than any other birds, migrating from central Africa to northern Europe. Some say the young remain in the air as long as four years, coming down only when they’re ready to raise a new brood. Following a foraging female as she travels north, this colorful title offers fascinating facts about these tiny, long-distance fliers. They can drink, preen, and sleep while flying. They have raucous gatherings known as “screaming parties.” Their spit keeps their nesting materials together “like superglue.” Both parents feed the nestlings. Text in a larger font provides a smooth narrative, ideal for a read-aloud, while text in a smaller font offers intriguing facts. A series of text boxes describe the swifts’ symbiotic relationship with the louse flies that ride north in their feathers, lay eggs in swift nests, and send a new generation of swift lice south in the fall. Robin’s mixed-media illustrations show the changing scenery in double-page spreads; smaller vignettes depict nesting details and a thrilling scene in which our protagonist must evade an attacking falcon.

A quick look at a super-speedy bird.