Common swift

The common swift is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution, reflecting similar contextual development. The swifts' nearest relatives are the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.

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Distribution

Region

Europe and temperate Asia (breeding); winters in sub-Saharan Africa

Typical Environment

Breeds widely across Europe and parts of temperate Asia, favoring towns, villages, and cliffy or rocky areas with nest crevices. Outside the breeding season it ranges over sub-Saharan Africa, roaming widely above savannas, woodland edges, and wetlands. It is highly aerial and can be found far from land when foraging over coasts and large lakes. Urban areas are important where suitable nesting sites exist in eaves, roofs, and old buildings.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 2500 m

Climate Zone

Temperate

Characteristics

Size16–17 cm

Wing Span38–40 cm

Male Weight0.042 kg

Female Weight0.04 kg

Life Expectancy10 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 1/5

Useful to know

Common swifts spend most of their lives in the air, eating, drinking, and even sleeping on the wing. They have extremely short legs adapted for clinging to vertical surfaces and are awkward on the ground. Pairs often show strong site fidelity, returning to the same nest crevices for many years. Their screaming aerial parties are a hallmark of summer skies over towns and cities.

Gallery

Common Swift chicks

Eggs of Apus apus

Young bird, not yet able to fly

Several swifts flying

A juvenile, feigning death (thanatosis)

Barn swallow

Swift

Four Swifts with Landscape Sketches, by Vincent van Gogh (Paris, April-September 1887)

Behaviour

Temperament

social and active

Flight Pattern

fast, agile flier with rapid, stiff wingbeats and extended glides

Social Behavior

Often nests in loose colonies, using crevices in buildings or cliffs. Pairs are typically monogamous with long-term site fidelity. They spend most of their time airborne, landing mainly to incubate and rear young.

Migratory Pattern

Seasonal migrant

Song Description

Vocalizations are high-pitched, piercing screams ('sreee') given in flight, especially during fast chases around colonies. Calls are not melodious but are loud and carry well over urban environments.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Common tailorbird

The common tailorbird is a songbird found across tropical Asia. Popular for its nest made of leaves "sewn" together and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling as Darzee in his Jungle Book, it is a common resident in urban gardens. Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are familiar and give away their presence. They are distinctive in having a long upright tail, greenish upper body plumage and rust coloured forehead and crown. This passerine bird is typically found in open farmland, scrub, forest edges and gardens. Tailorbirds get their name from the way their nest is constructed. The edges of a large leaf are pierced and sewn together with plant fibre or spider silk to make a cradle in which the actual nest is built. Punjab tailor birds produce shiny red eggs, but became extinct around 1975 due to laying their eggs in fields used to grow fodder crops.

Common tern

The common tern is a seabird in the family Laridae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are several similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.

Common waxbill

The common waxbill, also known as the St Helena waxbill, is a small passerine bird belonging to the estrildid finch family. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa but has been introduced to many other regions of the world and now has an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. It is popular and easy to keep in captivity.

Common wood pigeon

The common wood pigeon, also known simply as the wood pigeon, is a large species in the dove and pigeon family (Columbidae), native to the western Palearctic. It belongs to the genus Columba, which includes closely related species such as the rock dove. It has a flexible diet, feeding mainly on plant material, including cereals, and is therefore considered an agricultural pest. Wood pigeons are extensively hunted over much of their range, but this does not appear to have a major impact on their population numbers.