Little Swift

Early into our recent visit to the Kruger National Park we were parked on the high bridge crossing the Olifants River, stretching our legs and admiring the views upstream and downstream.

Early morning view upstream at the high bridge over the Olifants River

Early morning view downstream at the high bridge over the Olifants River

At one point we peeked over the railings and noticed a Little Swift splashing in the murky, fast flowing water below. The Swifts breed beneath the bridge, and this one must have miscalculated a dive, ending up in the water. It seems such aeronautical miscalculations are relatively common with this species as we’ve found them marooned on the ground on more than one occasion – their short legs and long wings make it very hard for them to get airborne again.

Little Swift in the Olifants River (photo by Joubert)

Little Swift in the Olifants River

Little Swift in the Olifants River (photo by Joubert)

Little Swift in the Olifants River

Little Swift in the Olifants River (photo by Joubert)

Little Swift in the Olifants River

Little Swift in the Olifants River (photo by Joubert)

We watched as the water quickly swept the little bird along. We could only hope that it was swept onto a sandbank before it became a snack for a crocodile, tigerfish, catfish or fish eagle, and that it would somehow manage to get back into the air.

Apus affinis

In South Africa, the Little Swift is a resident bird that has actually experienced a population boom and rapid range expansion in the last century, thanks to its propensity to use buildings and other human-made structures for breeding. As a result, the IUCN considers it to be of least concern. It occurs all over South Africa, and also most of sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. pockets of the Middle East and much of India.

Little Swifts are not at all picky about their habitat though they do require easy access to a water supply and usually avoid high altitude terrain. Little Swifts will often form mixed flocks with other swifts and swallows, hunting for a wide range of flying insects.

As mentioned already, Little Swifts build their nests, often in colonies of up to 30 monogamous pairs, in shelter provided by man-made structures like buildings, bridges and silos, though naturally they would utilise rocky overhangs and cliffs for the purpose. These nests are untidy conglomerations of feathers and plant material glued together with saliva and often used for several consecutive years. They breed in spring and summer, with both parents sharing the duty of incubating the clutch of 1-4 eggs over a 3-4 week period. The chicks stay in the nest until they’re almost 6 weeks old, but become independent very quickly thereafter. Fully grown Little Swifts weigh around 25g and measure only about 13cm in length.

As beautifully elegant as they are in the air, Little Swifts are almost entirely helpless when they are unfortunate enough to end up on the ground, which seems to happen surprisingly often when they swoop after prey close to the ground; their short legs and long wings make it almost impossible to launch from the ground.