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Horus Swift

Apus horus

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesShrublandCavity nestSmall · 27 g
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 1
Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 2
Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 3
Photo: Hobbyfotowiki · CC0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 4
Photo: Marrabbio2 · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 5
Photo: TRinaud · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 6
Photo: Billy Lindblom · CC BY 2.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 7
Photo: Billy Lindblom · CC BY 2.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 8
Photo: TRinaud · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 9
Photo: Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart · CC BY 4.0
Horus Swift (Apus horus), photo 10
Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The Horus swift is 13–15 cm (5.1–5.9 in) long and quite bulky. It appears entirely blackish except for a white patch on the chin and a white rump. It has a medium length forked tail. It has a fluttering flight like little swift. The little swift has a square tail, and more extensive white on the rump than Horus, and white-rumped swift has a more deeply forked tail and a narrower white band. The call is a buzzing peeeeooo, peeeeooo.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Horus Swift

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is November, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Horus Swift

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 21 countries with regular records, and 1 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

South Africa Tanzania Kenya Zimbabwe Lesotho Uganda Zambia Ethiopia Eswatini Mozambique Senegal Angola Botswana Gabon Namibia Rwanda Malawi Congo - Brazzaville Cameroon Congo - Kinshasa Nigeria

Recorded as a rare visitor in Sudan.

About the Horus Swift

The Horus swift is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae that is found in sub-Saharan Africa. Horus, whose name this bird commemorates, was the ancient Egyptian god of the sun, son of Osiris and Isis.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Plain Swift (Apus unicolor) Plain SwiftApus unicolorThe plain swift is a medium-sized swift. Bradfield's Swift (Apus bradfieldi) Bradfield's SwiftApus bradfieldiBradfield's swift is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. Nyanza Swift (Apus niansae) Nyanza SwiftApus niansaeThe Nyanza swift, also known as the brown swift, is a medium sized bird with sleek wings, along with a small and compact head.

Side by side: Fork-tailed Swift vs Horus Swift · African Black Swift vs Horus Swift · Horus Swift vs Nyanza Swift

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