Swift

Unnoticed biodiversity

Identification

Common name: Swift
Latin name: Apus apus
Length: 17 cm
Distinguishing features: black with long, boomerang-shaped wings and a forked tail
Habitat: cliffs and rocky ledges, urban and suburban areas; wide-ranging
Diet: insects
Status: Least Concern in the Ile-de-France region
Nesting period: April to July

Seen in the garden

In the spring, Swifts can be observed in the air, hunting small flying insects above the linden trees of the Terrasse du Bord-de-l’Eau.

It is a species now reliant on human-made environments, building its nest in wall cracks, inside roofs, etc.

Swift - typical calls

Audio

1 min.

Did you know?

Alongside Swallows and Martins, this migratory bird is a symbol of the arrival of spring, but it arrives later and leaves earlier than the former species.
In the Ile-de-France region, according to the French Breeding Bird Survey (STOC) scheme, its numbers appear to have declined by 25% in the 2001–2021 period. But this species was among the ten most commonly observed species during the 2023 survey campaign.

<= Discover The House Martin // Discover The Long-tailed Tit =>