Little Swift
Apus affinis
The Little Swift (Apus affinis) is a common swift found in 84 countries, weighing about 23 g. The little swift is a small species of swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and are vagrants and local breeders in southern Europe.
About the Little Swift
The little swift is a small species of swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and are vagrants and local breeders in southern Europe. They are found both in urban areas and at rocky cliffs where they build nests in a way typical of all members of the order Apodiformes. The genus name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow without feet. The Latin specific affinis means similar to or related to, but in this case the species that the little swift supposedly resembles is not clear from the description. A population formerly considered to be an eastern subspecies of little swift is now separated as a distinct species, the house swift.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
Little swifts are readily identified by their small size. Their wingspan is only 33 cm compared to 42 cm in the case of common swift. Their plumage is black except for a white throat and rump, the white rump patch extending onto the flanks. They have a short square tail, with all rectrices round-tipped. The flight is fluttering like that of a house martin, and the call is a high twittering. Like other swifts they are very short-legged. The legs are used for clinging to vertical surfaces only.
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in United Kingdom, Belgium, Taiwan, France, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, Sweden, Italy.
When to see it
The Little Swift can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Little Swift?
- Little swifts are readily identified by their small size. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Little Swift?
- The Little Swift is a small sized bird weighing about 23 g.
- Where can you see a Little Swift?
- The Little Swift occurs in 84 countries, including India, South Africa, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Namibia.
- What birds look similar to a Little Swift?
- The Little Swift is most easily confused with the House Swift, the White-rumped Swift and the Pallid Swift.
- Is the Little Swift endangered?
- The Little Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Little Swift for real
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