Common Swift Identification
What I look like
The Common Swift is the size of a Barn Swallow.
Unlike swallows, which have contrasting plumage, it has uniform plumage that is dark brown-black in color.
Its head is dark brown-black with a whitish chin.
Its wings are longer than those of swallows and are sickle-shaped, very characteristic in flight.
Its tail is forked.
As it almost never lands, its legs have greatly regressed.
My songs, my calls
The swift produces shrill, sizzling calls "srrriiii" when flying high in the sky on summer evenings.
How I behave
The Common Swift spends its life in full flight: it eats, sleeps, and mates in flight!
It only lands to nest or if it falls to the ground.
After their first flight, juveniles must fly for 2 to 4 years (the age required to reproduce) before landing again for reproduction.
You can sometimes notice its chasing flights when it hunts.
Its flight speed can reach up to 200 km/h!
It is sociable during migration, at wintering sites, or during reproduction if it chooses to nest in colonies.
How I reproduce
The breeding season of the Common Swift extends from May to August.
It produces 1 brood per year of 2 to 3 white eggs.
Unlike swallows, it is not a builder; it nests in building cavities in towns and villages.
It can establish colonies during the breeding season.
Its nest is an aggregate of light materials such as feathers and plant matter, glued together by saliva.
The Common Swift is threatened by the reduction of nesting sites: modern buildings have fewer crevices, and those in older buildings are often sealed.
What I eat
The Common Swift feeds exclusively on flying insects.
It hunts in flight up to 1000 meters altitude and even up to 2000 meters in the mountains or when the weather is bad.
Swallows and swifts are good allies by feeding on insects; they regulate invasive populations.
Where to find me
The Common Swift lives in towns and country villages, in plains, mountains, and above water bodies.
It is a long-distance migratory species. It leaves Europe in August to spend the winter in Africa and returns to Europe in May.
The Common Swift might come to your garden if it can nest in a sheltered spot, at a height of 6-7 meters, with a clear take-off and landing area.