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Articles

Vol. 32 No. 4 (2001)

IDAHO BLACK SWIFTS: NESTING HABITAT AND A SPATIAL ANALYSIS OF RECORDS

Submitted
November 22, 2025
Published
November 25, 2025

Abstract

The Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) was first confirmed breeding in Idaho in 1997 and 1998, when four and five pairs, respectively, nested near Shadow and Fern Falls along the North Fork Coeur d'Alene River, Shoshone County. Nest sites were on cliffs composed of argillite within the large Precambrian Belt Supergroup geologic formation and associated with a narrow riparian strip of western redcedar and devil's club. The microcommunity along cliff faces consisted of a variety of mosses, liverworts, and ferns. We analyzed all Black Swift sight records for Idaho, finding that 78% were from the breeding season, and most breeding-season records (96%) were associated with the Precambrian Belt Supergroup.

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