SWIFTS AND 
HUMMINGBIRDS 
The great speed with which these tiny birds can fly and the extremely 
rapid motion of their wings account for the names of swifts and humming¬ 
birds. The tiniest of birds are found in the hummingbird family, some indi¬ 
viduals weighing less than one-twelfth of an ounce and measuring hardly 
more than two inches. 
Hummingbirds are confined to the Americas and are found in greatest 
numbers on the slopes of the northern Andes in Colombia. The swifts are 
cosmopolitan in distribution and are found in Europe, southern Asia and 
the Americas. In India and China the swifts construct their nests with saliva. 
The natives of these countries use the nests for making soup. The migratory 
chimney swallows of the United States are also swifts that cement their nests 
with saliva. Crested swifts are confined to Asia. 
Swifts: Chimney Swift. 
Hummingbirds: Sword-billed Hummingbirds. 
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