Table of Contents 1.

The last of their aerial counterparts to arrive, the Common Swifts appear in May. Although similar in appearance to the hirundines (swallows and martins), they bear a purely cosmetic similarity owing to convergent evolution, whereby similar lifestyles have led to similar adaptations. In actual fact, swifts are most closely related to hummingbirds!

The scientific name for the Common Swift, Apus apus, stems from the Ancient Greek “a pous” meaning “without foot”. These birds never voluntarily land on the ground, instead using their very short legs to cling to vertical surfaces, mostly in order to gain access to nesting cavities, and after fledging, young Swifts can stay airborne for 2-3 years before landing again. On top of migrating an astonishing 14,000 miles per year, during this time, they will do everything on the wing: hunting for insects to eat, skimming low over water to drink and bathe, shutting down half their brain at a time to sleep while flying, collecting airborne feathers and cobwebs to use as nesting material and even mating on the wing. The only thing they come to land for is to raise their young, and they lack the ability to perch, so unlike Swallows or Martins, you won’t see them gathered on telegraph wires.

Prior to out understanding of migration, it was believed that Swifts hibernated in the mud at the bottom of ponds during the winter months. Interestingly though, despite this, because the Swift was believed not to have feet, it was long associated with restlessness. Sometimes this was given a negative connotation, but more often than not, it became the symbol for the pursuit of knowledge, learning and adventure. This was depicted as a stylised bird without feet known in heraldry as the Martlet and sometimes used to represent the fourth son in a family, the one who had to leave home and make his own way as a “landless wanderer’.

Swifts have also been recognised in other folklore as messengers. In Roman beliefs, they were thought to carry souls to the afterlife, while the Greeks believed their speed made them perfect messengers for the Gods. Some Native Americans held them as bringers of rain since their high-altitude, erratic flying often signalled a change in the weather, while in Europe they heralded summer’s arrival for those who felt it hadn’t come with the Swallows.

Swifts are recognisable for their long, narrow wings, held in a crescent shape in flight. They have dark, sooty brown plumage with a pale patch on the throat, but in flight, they often look black against the sky. Their call is an unmistakable high-pitched scream, and they often group together in screaming parties both when they first arrive and later when the young fledge and take to the sky. This call, most prevalent at dusk, led to the birds being associated with the Devil in many parts of Europe due to its eerie nature.

Sadly, in recent years, Swift numbers have declined rapidly, and they are now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. This is not just a problem facing the UK, but here alone, it has been estimated that for every 10 swifts in our skies back in 1995, there were only around 3 by 2022. They like to nest in the roof spaces of houses and other buildings, and one problem facing them is a reduction in available nesting sites. Swift boxes and bricks are an easy way to help welcome them to your home without needing to leave holes in your soffit and risk your own insulation. Swifts mate for life and will return year after year to the same nest