Where Swifts Fly

Breeding, wintering and migration

London's Swifts have one of the longest migration journeys in the World, 22000 kilometers (14000 miles) every year. They fly to and from Southern Africa, using routes that are poorly understood. You can see them crossing the Mediterranean and Europe if you are there during the migration period. If in the late Summer or Autumn you see Swifts swirling around the skies, heading South or South East, you are witnessing migration.

The map shows the breeding range in dark pink. Arriving from the South, (reaching the Middle-East in February, Naples in April, London in May) Swifts will be breeding within this area, but their location depends on suitable breeding and feeding sites. Cities, ruins, ancient monuments, cliffs, and quarries all provide nesting places for Swifts, and density at such places can be high. Freshwater areas with concentrations of flying insects attract masses of feeding Swifts. In other areas Swift presence may be minimal or non-existent.

The Migration routes (in yellow) are partly assumed, partly based on observation. Swifts leave Europe as soon as they have bred. The Northern-most birds, arriving last, will leave last. London's birds are on their way in early August, with the last leaving by the middle of the month. Further South, the birds leave even earlier (they leave the Middle East by June). Those last to leave Europe will still be crossing the desert in November. It is thought that much of the migration is carried out at great height and at speed, making it relatively less risky than for other species.

Winter is spent in the Southern part of Africa (the blue-green area). The birds are silent here, flying high and fast and covering large areas in the search for food. They spend all their time on the wing, never landing. They are vulnerable to bad weather; there have been reports of mass fatalities following severe hail storms. Confusion with several very similar local species makes study of Swifts in Southern Africa difficult, so little is known of their status as wintering birds.

The UK Swift population was estimated at 80,000 birds in 1990. They are thought to have decreased by 15% to 20% since. There's just one Swift now for every 900 UK humans.

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