Critter: White-throated swift

Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird; it's a plane; it's Superman! No, I'm a bird, a white-throated swift, aka Aeronautes saxatalis.

How can you be sure? Well, there's no engine or windows and no blue cape. I am 6 to 7 inches and, seen from below, have black wings, flanks and tail, while the rest is white. My wings are long, and my tail is short.

Where is that bird? In the winter, I am found in Central California and Southern Arizona and New Mexico south to Central America. In the warmer months, we breed through the Rocky Mountains to British Columbia. We like arid mountains and rocky areas.

About that name "swift":Like airplanes and Superman, I am a speedy guy, among the fastest of birds. And like Spider-Man, I cling to vertical surfaces like the sides of buildings or trees. No perching for me.

On the fly: I am an aerial feeder. That means I catch and eat insects as I fly. We also mate in flight, during which we spiral downward in free fall, separating in the nick of time.

After that mating: We nest in colonies. Our nests are built of feathers that are glued together with our saliva. We lay 3 to 6 white eggs per clutch.