Swifts
Alpine Swift
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Tachymarptis melba
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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20–23 cm, like a large swallow
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Long pointed wings, shallow forked tail
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White throat and belly, dark breast band
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Fast, powerful flight, often low over buildings or cliffs, call "tsee-tsee"
About the species
Upperparts are warm brown, while the throat and belly are white, cut by a dark band across the breast. That pale belly patch is the easiest mark to pick out when it is high overhead, along with its long pointed wings and slightly forked tail.
It spends most of its life in the air, sweeping along on deep wingbeats and catching insects in flight. It drinks without landing and roosts on vertical cliffs or walls. Its call is a drawn-out twittering.
It nests in colonies on cliffs, caves, and old buildings, often returning to the same site year after year. Alpine Swift breeds from southern Europe across Asia to the Himalayas, and also in parts of Africa, Madagascar, India, and Sri Lanka. It is migratory in many areas and may winter far to the south.
Where to find
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Around tall old buildings with ledges, holes, and roof gaps, Alpine Swift often circles in loose flocks on warm evenings.
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On steep brick walls, bridges, and towers—anywhere narrow cracks can serve as nest sites—it flashes past with long, powerful wingbeats.
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Over canal banks and riversides it sweeps low after flying insects, then rises higher at dusk and gives a drawn-out twittering call.
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Near stone facades and historic towers, a quick turn in the light may reveal the white belly patch and dark breast band.
