This is Bird Note.

As a tree swallow swoops gracefully across a marsh, its long slender wings glint a deep

iridescent blue.

It blinds close to the surface, tips its head down, and lightly skims the pond for a second

with its beak open, drinking on the wing.

Three birds drink while standing, dipping their beaks into a pond or bird bath, taking

a beakful, and then tossing their heads back to swallow the water.

And most birds can't pull off a daredevil in flight drink because they just aren't

built for it.

Swallows are such virtuosos of flight that they're skimming the pond almost looks like

showing off.

Drinking on the wing suits Swallows best.

They walk awkwardly on the ground on rather short legs, and their long wings are pretty

cumbersome, so it's far more efficient to grab a drink on the glide.

This adaptation holds true for some other birds too.

Common night hawks are much bigger than Swallows, with a two-foot wingspan.

They take their water in flight too, while swifts with an even longer wing structure

than Swallows have such short legs that they never land on the ground, and so a sip on

the wing is all but essential.

For bird notes, I'm Michael Stein.