At first glance, these avian athletes can look very similar, but there are some key differences between them. Have a read of our handy ID guide and soon you’ll know your Swifts from your Swallows.
Sadly, Swift numbers are plummeting, and they’re now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. For every ten Swifts zooming across our skies in 1995, there were only about three by 2022.
You could see Swifts flying high in the sky over most habitats, as they search for small invertebrates to eat and to feed to their chicks. Nesting Swifts zoom around buildings at roof level.
Swifts migrate to the UK from Africa each year, and only spend a few months with us while their raise their chicks. Swifts begin arriving from late April, with most arriving in May. They then head back to Africa from early August onwards.
Swifts are incredible birds, and one of our greatest long-distance athletes. They’ve undertaken a crazy journey to get here, one of the longest migration journeys in the world. Swifts fly around 22,000 km (or 14,000 miles) every year.
Despite suffering huge declines in recent years, Swifts are fairly easy to see as they often nest in our towns and cities.
We’re taking action to help Swifts. We need your help to look out for nesting or screaming Swifts near you so we can identify nest sites that need protection.
Swifts are masters of the air and spend almost their entire lives in flight – eating, drinking, sleeping and even mating on the wing. They usually only land when it’s time to nest, so you’ll never see them perched on overhead wires like Swallows. Groups of Swifts can often be seen flying around rooftops at high speed.
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, resulted in Swifts being added to the red list in the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report.
Swifts are short-stayed visitors, only rearing one brood while on their breeding grounds. Therefore, they must make their journey worthwhile. Why not give them a helping hand and fix a wooden Swift box to your house?
Swifts make one of nature’s most incredible journeys. But they’re in trouble. The RSPB is working hard to protect them and there are lots of ways that you can help them too.
During its lifetime, a Swift can fly around two million miles – that’s equivalent to more than four trips to the Moon and back!
Their screaming call is one of the most evocative sounds of summer. But in some places their calls have fallen silent. Sadly, Swifts are on the Red List of conservation concern, declining by 62% between 1995 and 2021.