Ibon ng Apodiform

Apodiform, (mag-order ng Apodiformes), sinumang miyembro ng isa sa dalawang pangkat ng mga ibon, mga swift at mga hummingbird, na ibang-iba mula sa isa't isa sa pangkalahatang hitsura at paraan ng pamumuhay. Ang dalawang pangkat, na itinuturing na mga hangganan, ay ang Apodi, na naglalaman ng mga pamilya na Hemiprocnidae para sa mga swift ng puno (na tinatawag ding crested swift) at Apodidae para sa totoong mga swift; at ang Trochili, na naglalaman ng nag-iisang malaking pamilya na Trochilidae para sa mga hummingbird. Ang pinaka-halatang karaniwang katangian ng dalawang pangkat ay isang napakahusay na kasanayan sa hangin; ang parehong mga swift at hummingbird ay maliksi flier at ibahagi, sa koneksyon na ito, ang ilang mga kakaibang katangian ng istraktura ng pakpak.Ang ilang mga ornithologist ay naniniwala na ang mga anatomical na kahawig na ito ay magkakasundo (ang resulta ng parehong uri ng likas na pagpili na kumikilos sa mga walang kaugnayang mga organismo) at na ang tunay na ugnayan ng mga hummingbird at swift ay nakikipag-usap sa ibang mga grupo, hindi sa bawat isa.

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Pangkalahatang tampok

Kahalagahan sa mga tao

Ang mga tao ay matagal nang nabighani sa mga hummingbird. Mula sa oras na ang unang mga ispesimen ay dumating sa Europa mula sa mga bagong natuklasan na tropikal na Amerikano, ang napakatalino, kulay ng kulay na kulay at maliit na sukat ng mga hummingbird ay ginawa silang mga paborito ng parehong mga siyentipiko at publiko. Ang mga naka-istilong hummingbird ay malaki ang hinihiling para sa pagpapakita sa mga tahanan at museo at para sa mga sumbrero ng mga kababaihan ng dekorasyon. Dinala ng mga South American Indians ang mga hummingbird mula sa daan-daang milya sa paligid sa mga magagaling na sentro ng merkado tulad ng Bogotá, Colombia, at Cayenne, French Guiana. Kahit ngayon ang ilang mga species at subspecies ng mga hummingbird ay kilala lamang mula sa mga "trade skin," at ang kanilang aktwal na saklaw ay hindi pa natuklasan ng mga ornithologist. Ang commerce sa mga hummingbird na balat ay halos ganap na nawala, at kinukuha ngayon ng mga kolektor ang mga hummingbird na buhay para sa eksibisyon sa mga zoo at aviaries.Bagaman ang ilang mga species ay nakakagulat na matigas sa pagkabihag, ang wastong pangangalaga ng mga hummingbird ay hindi simple, at kakaunti sa mga ibon na nag-iiwan ng gubat.

Swifts, little known to the average person, are in most parts of the world often confused with swallows, which are unrelated but generally similar to swifts in size, proportions, and aerial habits. In Southeast Asia, however, one group of swifts is of major economic importance. The swiftlets of the genus Collocalia comprise a group of species, most of which live in caves. They build nests composed of varying amounts of plant and animal substances (such as leaves, moss, hair, feathers) held together and fastened to the cave wall with a mucilaginous secretion of the salivary glands. The nest of one species, the edible-nest swiftlet (C. fuciphaga), is composed almost entirely of concentric layers of this salivary cement. These nests and, to a lesser extent, those of some other swiftlets are gathered commercially in the East Indies and form the base for the famous bird’s-nest soup of the Orient.

Size range and diversity of structure

The smallest of living birds are included among the Trochilidae, the smallest known species being the bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) of Cuba, which is barely 62 mm (about 2.5 inches) from bill tip to tail tip. Even the largest member of the family, the giant hummingbird (Patagona gigas) of western South America, has a body only about the size of a large sparrow, although the bill and tail extend this length by about 35 and 85 mm (1.4 and 3.3 inches), respectively. There is relatively little structural diversity among hummingbirds except in the size and shape of the bill and the ornamental feathers. The bill may be very short or, as in the sword-billed hummingbird (Ensifera ensifera) of the Andes, may exceed the rest of the bird in length. The bill may also be straight or curved to varying degrees, usually downward, but, in a few species, upward. In most hummingbirds, the tail feathers are relatively unspecialized. However, in some they are greatly elongated and are either straight or curved, and in others the tail feathers are wirelike with spatulate tips. Brilliantly iridescent feathers are found somewhere on the body of most hummingbirds, often with an especially colourful gorget on the throat; a few genera have dull coloration. Sexual dimorphism (that is, the structural difference between sexes) varies between species, females being either indistinguishable from males or less colourful or ornate.

The true swifts have a somewhat greater size range; such tiny species as the pigmy swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes) of the Philippines weighs only 5 grams (0.2 ounce), whereas some of the large and powerful members of the Old World genus Apus are 30 times heavier. Beyond the size differences, the most obvious morphological variation among swifts is in the conformation of the tail. In the spine-tailed swifts, a group that includes the familiar American chimney swift (Chaetura pelagica), the central shaft of the tail feathers extend beyond the vanes (the soft, flat, expanded parts of a feather) into pointed spines. In other swifts, with less specialized tail feathers, the tail itself may be square-ended, moderately forked, or deeply forked (swallow-tailed). Less conspicuous structural variations that are used in swift taxonomy include the position of the toes and the amount of feathering on the legs. The four species of tree swifts that make up the family Hemiprocnidae are rather uniform, differing mainly in size, proportions, and plumage pattern.