swifts range in length from about 9 to 23 cm (3.5 to 9 inches).They have exceptionally long wings and chunky, powerful bodies. Their compact plumage is a dull o

swifts range in length from about 9 to 23 cm (3.5 to 9 inches).They have exceptionally long wings and chunky, powerful bodies. Their compact plumage is a dull or glossy gray, brown, or black, sometimes with pale or white markings on the throat, neck, belly, or rump. The head is broad, with a short, wide, slightly curved bill. The tail, although often short, may be long and deeply forked. The feet are tiny and weak; with the aid of sharp claws they are used only to cling to vertical surfaces. A swift that lands on flat ground may be unable to regain the air. In soft-tailed forms, the hind toe is rotated forward as an aid in gripping vertical surfaces; in spine-tailed swifts, support is gained from the short needle-tippedtail feathers, and the feet are less modified.In feeding, swifts course tirelessly back and forth, capturing insects with their large mouths open. They also drink, bathe, and sometimes mate on the wing. They fly with relatively stiff, slow wingbeats (four to eight per second), but the scimitar-like design of the wing makes it the most efficient among birds for high-speed flight. The fastest of small birds, swifts are believed to reach 110 km (70 miles) per hour regularly; reports of speeds three times that figure are not confirmed. The only avian predators known to take swifts with regularity are some of the larger falcons.The nest of a swift is made of twigs, buds, moss, or feathers and is glued with its sticky saliva to the wall of a cave or the inside of a chimney, rock crack, or hollow tree.
1. What are they like?
2. How do they live in the northern territory of Australia?
3. Why do they live near water?