Studies by WEITNAUER (1980) show that although most Common Swifts die before reaching the age of ten, a large number of monitored birds can be assigned to the age group of 10 – 20 years. This makes the Common Swift a special case in terms of lifespan as well. Outside the Apodidae family, a similarly high age in the wild has only been proven in exceptional individual cases in birds of comparable body mass (e.g., many songbirds) (BEZZEL and PRINZINGER, 1990).
WEITNAUER (1980) gives an average age of 4.7 years for Common Swifts ringed as nestlings, 3.6 years for dead recoveries of birds ringed as caught individuals, and 3.2 years for live checks after ringing. However, since birds of the last two groups were at least one year old at ringing, and at least two years old as breeding birds, the average age reached by them must be higher than for those ringed as nestlings. WEITNAUER (1980) mentions one bird each aged 19, 20 and 21 years as the oldest Common Swifts – ringed as caught individuals.
Estimates for annual mortality (assuming constancy) of adult Common Swifts at Oxford / England are given as 15 – 16 % or 20 – 23 % depending on material and method (PERRINS cited in GLUTZ and BAUER, 1980), at Hasselfors / Central Sweden as approx. 19 % (MAGNUSSON and SVÄRDSON cited in GLUTZ and BAUER, 1980).