Swift care advice

[cara pace]

From April/May to August, the swifts grace our skies. The rest of their time is spent in flight, where they eat, sleep and mate on the wing.

Sadly the swifts have been in decline for some years and have now been given amber conservation status. This is quite worrying, as if they continue to decline at the current rate, in another 20+ years, they may be a distant memory. And thinking about the amount of insects the swifts eat, this could potentially increase the risk of disease spread by some of these insects. One of the reasons for their decline is believed to be the destruction of their nest sites. Swifts can be attracted to specialised swift nest boxes - a bit late to start this year, but an idea for next year maybe?!

Many books and publications give incorrect advice on the treatment and feeding of swifts. There is still a lot to learn about these fascinating birds, so the most current and best advice is available on:

Swift Conservation Homepage

The main things to note are that:

Grounded swifts should NEVER be thrown into the air. This could cause irrepairable damage and could prove fatal. It is important that the advice of a swift carer is sought immediately. Their details can be found on the link above.

Do NOT attempt to feed a swift bread, cat food, minced beef or anything other than the recommended insects. They are obligate insectivores and incorrect diet can cause deformities, feather loss and death.

Some interesting swift facts:

Referred to as Devil birds, it was once believed that swifts hibernated in the mud at the bottom of lakes

Each year they make the 14,000 mile round trip from Southern Africa. They can travel 500 miles per day or 1.2 million miles in their lifetime.

The oldest swift recorded was about 18, it would have travelled 4 million miles in it's lifetime - the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back 8 times!

They cannot perch like other birds. Their tiny legs are high up their bodies and their name Apus Apus, family Apodidae, means 'without feet'

[Farplace]

Thanks for this. I have never needed to care for swifts, but this information will be very useful if the need arises.

[Jonners]

Well done for this cara pace. After the successful conclusion here on WAB to an episode involving a grounded swift the other day, perhaps it's worth making this a sticky? Mods?

[~T~]

Some excellent info. I've always really admired swifts. The house I spend most of my childhood and teens in was on a street where swifts nested so their screaming calls remind me of good times growing up. They nested in the eaves in my house and sometimes would fall down into the wall space and we would have to take the air vents off to rescue them.

[cara pace]

Originally Posted by Jonners

Well done for this cara pace. After the successful conclusion here on WAB to an episode involving a grounded swift the other day, perhaps it's worth making this a sticky? Mods?

Thank you Jonners

[Ladywell]

There is a brilliant book about swifts called 'The Devil Birds' - can't remember who it is by (just been to look on my bookcase and realised I lent it to someone and didn't get it back)

[cara pace]

That's a shame. Hope you get it back. It's by Derek Bromhall and is very good. Can also recommend Swifts in a Tower by David Lack