Conservation status: Amber
The swift is a medium-sized aerial bird, which is a superb flier. It evens sleeps on the wing! It is plain sooty brown, but in flight against the sky it appears black. It has long, scythe-like wings and a short, forked tail. It is a summer visitor, breeding across the UK, but most numerously in the south and east. It winters in Africa.
Latin name
Apus apus
Family
Swifts (Apodidae)
Where to see them
Look up in the sky in summer, often very high. They never perch on wires like swallows. You might see excited screaming parties of them careering madly at high speed around rooftops and houses, often low, especially towards dusk.
When to see them
April - August.
What they eat
Flying insects and airborne spiders.
Population
| Europe | UK breeding* | UK wintering* | UK passage* | | - | 85,000 pairs | - | - |