All species
summer visitor
Amber-listedSwifts
Common Swift
A master of the air that spends almost its entire life on the wing, sleeping and mating in flight. Sleek blackish-brown with a pale throat patch and scythe-shaped wings.
Apus apus
Urban Open country
Size
16-17 cm
Wingspan
38-42 cm
Weight
36-50 g
Lifespan
Up to 20 years
Diet
Flying insects caught high in the air: aphids, flies, beetles and airborne spiders.
Song & Call
A high-pitched, screaming 'sreee-sreee' as parties race around rooftops.
Tap play to listen0:00
Speed
Visualizer
Recording by Luis Alvarez Menendez · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
How to identify
- Sickle-shaped wings
- Dark sooty plumage
- Pale throat patch
- Very short forked tail
Conservation
Amber-listed
Amber-listed; depends on old buildings and roof spaces for nesting sites.
