Editing Swift (bird) (section)

{{Short description|Family of birds}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|fossil_range = {{fossil range|Eocene|Present|[[Eocene]] to present}}
|image = Apus apus 01.jpg
|image_caption = [[Common swift]], ''Apus apus''
|taxon = Apodidae
|authority = [[Ernst Hartert|Hartert]], 1897
|subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
|subdivision = 
*[[Cypseloidinae]]
*[[Apodinae]]
}}

The '''Apodidae''', or '''swifts''', form a family of highly aerial [[bird]]s. They are superficially similar to [[swallow]]s, but are not closely related to any [[passerine]] species. Swifts are placed in the order [[Apodiformes]] along with [[hummingbird]]s. The [[treeswift]]s are closely related to the true swifts, but form a separate family, the Hemiprocnidae.

Resemblances between swifts and swallows are due to [[convergent evolution]], reflecting similar life styles based on catching [[insect]]s in flight.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hasegawa |first1=Masaru |last2=Arai |first2=Emi |title=Convergent evolution of the tradeoff between egg size and tail fork depth in swallows and swifts |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |date=12 June 2018 |volume=49 |issue=8 |page=1 |doi=10.1111/jav.01684 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jav.01684 |access-date=12 February 2021|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

The family name, Apodidae, is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ἄπους (''ápous''), meaning "footless", a reference to the small, weak legs of these most aerial of birds.<ref name= job59>Jobling (2010) pp. 50–51.</ref><ref name= Kaufman>Kaufman (2001) p. 329.</ref> The tradition of depicting swifts without feet continued into the Middle Ages, as seen in the heraldic [[martlet]].