Birds · Caprimulgiformes · Apodidae

Pallid Swift

Apus pallidus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The pallid swift is practically identical to the common swift but of a slightly browner tone and with a paler throat. It is one of the most aerial birds in the world: it eats, drinks, mates and sleeps in flight, and only lands to breed. In Spain it is abundant in cities in the south and along the Mediterranean coast. Unlike the common swift, many pairs raise two broods a season and some individuals winter in the south of the peninsula.

Weight

32 g – 49 g

Size

16 cm – 18 cm

Lifespan

15 years

Diet

Insectivore

Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

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Fun facts

GeneralVery like the common swift, but rather slower in flight and browner.
It can go months on end without landing: it eats, drinks, mates and sleeps in flight, climbing at dusk to more than two thousand metres to spend the night gliding half asleep.
Its legs are so short and its wings so long that if it falls to the ground it has difficulty taking off, which is why every summer hundreds of young swifts fallen from nests are picked up in Spanish cities.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Sea cliffs, rock faces and buildings of towns and cities of the Mediterranean basin
Sexual maturity: 2 years
Gestation / incubation: 20 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: 2 eggs

Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/