Common Swift

A highly aerial bird whose screaming flocks enliven summer towns.

A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.

I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓

FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE

Finding guide

Season first

Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.

When to go: Usually May to August; migration timing varies
Where to start: Residential areas, parks and farm surroundings viewed from public spaces.
What to do when you arrive: Usually May–August, scan town skies for sickle-shaped wings and fast flocks, especially on warm evenings. Keep away from building cavities.

Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.

SPECIES NOTESSpecies notes

How to identify it

Almost uniformly sooty-brown with a slightly paler throat, long sickle-shaped wings and a short forked tail. Lacks the extensive white belly or rump of martins.

Habitat

Towns, villages, buildings, gardens and nearby open ground.

Behaviour

Catches airborne insects and breeds in building cavities.

When to look

Usually May to August; migration timing varies

Where to look

Residential areas, parks and farm surroundings viewed from public spaces.

Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.

Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · BTO · Hirundines and Swift ↗ · Wikipedia ↗

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