Page 252 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

SWIFTS
Order Apodiformes Family Apodidae Species Apus pallidus
Pallid Swift

darker brown
wingtips
pale brown diagonal
band on upperwings
ADULT
more mottled than adult
with obvious pale
feather edges
wingtips
darker than
midwings

whitish
IN FLIGHT chin and
throat
JUVENILE

pale mud-brown
ery like a common Swift, the Pallid Swift is perceptibly under wings (pale-
edged feathers)
Vpaler and more mud- or clay-brown when seen well; it is
also broader-winged, shorter-tailed, and broader-headed.As it
is so often seen flying against the sky, a good view may not be
easy to achieve, but if it flies low against a darker background, ADULT
plumage differences should be visible. In many southern
European towns, both species are common, allowing
opportunities both for comparison and confusion. Pallid Swifts
have sometimes been seen well north of their usual range very FLIGHT: fast, typical swift-type flight on stiff,
late in the summer or autumn when swifts have normally long scythe-like wings, with slightly slower wingbeats;
since migrated to Africa, but this alone is not sufficient to longer glides than Swift on average.
identify late swifts such as Pallid: very occasionally, a common
Swift will linger as well. Such isolated wanderers outside the normal range need
careful observation for positive identification.
VOICE Scream like common Swift’s but usually falls in pitch, more disyllabic,
lower in pitch, but hard to separate with certainty.
NESTING Unlined cavity in roof space, old building, or wall; 2 or 3 eggs;
1 brood; May–June.
FEEDING Like Swift, takes food entirely in air, catching flying insects and drifting
spiders in its mouth.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Breeds in S Europe, mostly near
SWIFT ALPINE SWIFT SAND MARTIN coasts; more inland in S Spain and
see p.249 see p.251 see p.273 Italy, in older areas of towns and
larger
villages. Migrates to Africa in
winter, but only very rare vagrant
less white north of breeding range. Feeds
blacker on throat white smaller and over all kinds of open countryside.
below chunkier
Seen in the UK
JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 16–18cm (6 1 ⁄2 –7in) Wingspan 39–46cm (15 1 ⁄2 –18in) Weight 50g (1 3 ⁄4oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan 10–15 years Status Secure†
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