The Black Swift is on the brink of extinction in Canada

The black swift (Cypseloides niger), a bird that nests in cliff-side habitats often associated with waterfalls and found in Banff National Park, is on the brink of extinction in Canada. The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met in Quebec April 26 to May 1 to examine the status of 20 species, ranging from lichen and fish to whales and wolves. The black swift, found in British Columbia and extreme western Alberta, was assessed as endangered. COSEWIC scientists say the black swift has experienced a large population decline over recent decades in the United States and in Canada, like many other birds that specialize on a diet of flying insects.They say the Canadian population appears to have declined by more than 50 per cent over a 40-year period between 1973 and 2012, now at an estimated 15,000 to 60,000 mature individuals.

Jon McCracken, a COSEWIC member and director of National Programs Bird Studies Canada, said the causes of the decline are not well understood, but believed to be related to changes in food supply that may occur at one or more points in the black swift’s life cycle.
Source:
Rocky Mountain Outlook, May 14, 2015
http://www.rmoutlook.com/article/20150514/RMO0801/305149956