piiritajaliste seltsi piiritajalaste (Apodidae) sugukonda kuuluv õhulind
Good to know
- Piiritaja e. piirpääsuke (Apus apus) kuulub pääsukeste hulka vaid nime ja välimuse poolest. Tegelikult pole ta isegi mitte värvuline, vaid kuulub piiritajaliste seltsi. Piiritaja on üleni mustjaspruuni sulestikuga, vaid kurgualune on hele. Piiritaja on pääsukestest pikema tiibade siruulatuse ja pikema kehapikkusega. Ta tiivad on kitsad ja sirpjad, mis viitab osavale ja kiirele lendajale. Piiritaja saba on samuti kitsas, mille tipus võib mõnikord märgata väikest sabaharki. Võrreldes teiste pääsukestega on piiritaja kohastunud eluks õhus palju paremini: ta suudab arendada suuremat lennukiirust ning võib vajadusel (näiteks halbade ilmadega) lennata toitumisretkele sadade kilomeetrite kaugusele. Piiritaja põhihäälitsuseks on „piiri-piiri…“ ja „sriiii…“, mille järgi on ta saanud ka oma eestikeelse nime.

a species of birds in the family swifts
Good to know
- Medium-sized swift, dark overall with a white throat. Almost always seen in fast, direct flight, which, as the name suggests, is swift. Bigger and longer-winged than swallows, with strong stiff wingbeats. Lacks the white rump patches of similarly-sized Pacific Swift (and other "fork-tailed swifts") and various needletails. Nests in cavities in cliffs and buildings. Ranges widely over any habitat in search of aerial insects, often over lakes and reservoirs where swallows congregate. Usually flies higher than swallows except when swooping low to drink by splashing briefly on water surface. Calls frequently, especially near the nest, giving a high-pitched wheezing scream.

piiritaja preferred

piirpääsuke

Common Swift

Usage examples

The Common Swift has a short head, with almost no bill, a white chin, an all-dark body (which becomes browner in late summer), and a deeply forked tail, with fine white feather edges.

Good to know

Official English names of birds are capitalized, as is the current practice in ornithology (e.g., Yellow-throated Warbler).

common swift

Apus apus

in the EU's IATE term base

Online Language Learning Tool SkELL allows users to search for phrases in sentences, collocates and similar words. These examples have been automatically selected and may contain errors.

common swift

EKI Combined Dictionary 2026

Meanings

Terminological databases

EKI terminibaas Esterm

Word forms not available

Etymology not available

Related words not available

Search the same word

Web examples