About 100 species of highly aerial birds that look like swallows but are closer to hummingbirds. Swifts are among the fastest birds in level flight, and their short legs are made for clinging to walls, not walking. They live on every continent except Antarctica.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Insects only
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inWorldwide
ColoursBrown, Black
SizeTiny
Length16–17 cm (common swift)
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for5–10 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Every continent except Antarctica; temperate species winter in the tropics.
- What it eats
- Insects caught in flight.
Did you know
Stays airborne for ten months without landing, and sleeps on the wing.
Common swifts drink, feed, and often mate and sleep on the wing.
A common swift can cover millions of kilometres in its lifetime.
Often confused with
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