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Head of a common swift

Common swift

Common swifts are gregarious birds that nest, roost, migrate and hunt in groups. They favour a life on the wing and are unique in their ability to stay airborne for extended periods, spending entire days aloft and only landing to feed young or roost. Swifts fly at least 560 miles per day during the nesting season. They also mate and forage whilst in the air. Their specially adapted grasping feet allow them to occupy vertical surfaces such as chimneys, which other birds would have difficulty inhabiting.

Scientific name: Apus apus

Rank: Species

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Common swift taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Common swift can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Mediterranean, Russia, United Kingdom, Wales. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Common swift distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Year assessed: 2009

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

The Common Swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the Barn Swallow or House Martin but somewhat larger. It is, however, completely unrelated to those passerine species, since swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles. Swifts' nearest relatives are thought to be the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.

Their scientific name comes from the Ancient Greek words α "without", and πούς, "feet". ἄπους, apous, meaning "without feet". These birds have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces (hence the German name Mauersegler, literally meaning "wall-glider"). They never settle voluntarily on the ground, where they would be vulnerable to accidents and predation.

Read more at Wikipedia

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Classification

  1. Life
  2. Animals
  3. Vertebrates
  4. Birds
  5. Swifts and hummingbirds
  6. Apodidae
  7. Apus
  8. Common swift

BBC News about Common swift

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