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  • Swift
A swift in flight against a clear sky blue background

Discover the incredible story of bird migration

Read more here

Swift

Swift
Swift
  • Scientific name: Apus apus
  • Bird family: Swifts
  • UK conservation status: Red
  • Protected by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

Swift call audio

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Patrik Aberg, Xeno-canto

Key information

The swift is a medium-sized aerial bird, which is a superb flyer. Sleeping, eating, bathing and even mating on the wing, swifts rarely touch the ground. They are also the fastest birds in level flight, with an impressive top speed of 69mph. 


Swifts are plain sooty brown, with a white throat, but in flight against the sky they appear black. They have long, scythe-like wings and a short, forked tail. Swifts are summer visitors, breeding across the UK, but are most numerous in the south and east. Spending their winters in Africa, swifts migrate 3,400 miles twice a year, stopping off to refuel in places like Portugal and France along the way. 


After a long flight back from their summer in Africa, swifts have one thing on their minds - to mate. Swifts pair for life, returning to the same site each year for a little nest renovation before laying and incubating their eggs. They like to live in houses and churches, squeezing through tiny gaps to nest inside roofs. But as more old buildings are renovated and gaps in soffits closed up, swift nest sites are fast disappearing. This, in part, has resulted in swifts being added to the Red list in the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report. 


Red is the highest conservation priority, with species on this list needing urgent action. Species on this list, such as swifts, are globally threatened, with big declines in breeding populations and ranges. That’s why swifts urgently need our help. By installing a swift brick in a wall, or putting up a nestbox, you could give a swift a place to rest and raise a family.

What they eat:

Flying insects and airborne spiders.

Measurements:

Length:
16-17cm
Wingspan:
42-48cm
Weight:
36-50g

Population:

UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.
UK breeding:
59,000 pairs

Identifying features:

Swift

Flying Swift illustration
Feather colour: Black Brown Cream/buff White
Leg colour: Brown
Beak: Black Short Thin
Natural habitats: Farmland Grassland Urban and suburban Wetland

Similar birds:

Swifts, swallows and martins often get confused for one another, but it's easier than you might think to tell them apart.

Swifts are dark, sooty brown all over, but often look black against the sky. If you get a good look, you might see their pale throat. The wings are long and narrow, with a tail that is slightly forked, but not as much as a swallow's. Swifts have a piercing, screaming call, but they aren't noisy at the nest.

Swifts nest in holes - often inside old buildings or sometimes in specially-designed swift nestboxes - so you'll never see them building a nest outside. In fact, if you can see an obvious nest, it's definitely not a swift! You'll see swifts flying low and fast around buildings, screaming loudly, or perhaps swooping fast into a little crevice in a building to their nests. You won't see them perching on telegraph wires or fences; they have tiny feet and legs and can hardly walk!

 

Swallows have dark, glossy blue backs, wings and heads, with a reddish patch under the chin. Their long, forked tails are distinctive. Swallows have a twittering song, which they give from a perch on a fence or building, or while they're flying. You can often see swallows perching on wires, especially around migration time, when they gather in flocks.

 

Like swifts, house martins often live in built-up areas. They build their nests under the eaves of houses. House martins have glossy blue upperparts, similar to a swallow, but the white rump is distinctive. Their tail is also forked, but much shorter than a swallow's. Their call is a sharp 'jik, jik' with some twittering. Like swifts, swallows and sand martins, you could see them over any lake or river, flying around to catch insects.

 

Sand martins are similar in shape to house martins. Their backs and wings are brown - perhaps a bit like a swift - but their underside is white with a brown breast-band. As the name suggests, sand martins make burrows in sandy river banks or even heaps of sand at quarries!

 

House martin in flight
House martin
Sand martin
Sand martin
Flying Swallow illustration
Swallow

Where and when 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.

* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  • Resident
  • Passage
  • Summer
  • Winter
Swift distribution map

Swifts can be seen from April to August.

  • jan
  • feb
  • mar
  • apr
  • may
  • jun
  • jul
  • aug
  • sep
  • oct
  • nov
  • dec

A Swift Adventure

From the savannas and forests of Africa, to the towns and cities of the UK – and back again – swifts make one of nature’s most incredible migration journeys. Follow one swift on her long adventure and discover the threats swifts, and other wildlife, face on the way. Threats that you can help tackle in some very simple ways.

Follow the journey

In more depth

Distribution and migration

Distribution and migration

Helping swifts

Helping swifts

Swifts breeding and nesting habits

Swifts breeding and nesting habits

What do swifts eat?

What do swifts eat?

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You might also be interested in

Swift bricks on the side of a house

Create a cosy nest for swifts

Swifts like high, deep crevices to nest in, often in gaps in roofs and soffits. They urgently need new nest sites. Read our guide to building a high home for swfts, and discover the revolutionary swift brick.

Map swifts in your area

Have you spotted a swift entering a hole in a building or careering around rooftops? You can submit your sightings on our Swift Mapper, and help us build a picture of where swift nest sites need to be protected.

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