The pallid swift is a swift. Swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The genus name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow with no feet, and pallidus is Latin for "pale". Like other swifts they never settle voluntarily on the ground, but spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing.
Region
Mediterranean Basin and North Africa
Typical Environment
Breeds in southern Europe, North Africa, and on islands such as the Canaries and Madeira, with additional colonies around the Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula. Winters in sub-Saharan Africa, dispersing widely over savannas and open country. Prefers coastal cliffs, gorges, and urban areas with suitable crevices for nesting. Most activity is high in the air column over open landscapes, coasts, and cities where aerial insects are abundant.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1800 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The pallid swift is a paler, warmer-brown counterpart of the common swift, adapted to spend most of its life on the wing. It breeds around the Mediterranean, North Africa, and parts of Macaronesia, nesting in crevices on cliffs and buildings. Like other swifts, it drinks and feeds in flight and rarely, if ever, lands on the ground. Its lower-pitched, softer screams often betray colonies over towns and coastal cliffs.
Eggs of Apus pallidus
Detail of a mature Apus pallidus chick.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
fast, scything flight with short rapid wingbeats and long glides
Social Behavior
Nests colonially in crevices on cliffs and buildings, often returning to traditional sites. Pairs are typically monogamous and share incubation and chick-rearing. They spend most of their time airborne outside of nesting, forming noisy groups over breeding areas.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
Calls are softer and lower-pitched than the common swift, consisting of rolling, buzzy screams. In colonies, they give frequent ‘srih’ calls while coursing around buildings and cliffs.
