Identification

Since Common Swifts are frequently mistaken for swallows and even for birds of prey, the following unmistakable characteristics are listed to help you tell a Common Swift apart from other bird species with certainty.

In addition, a series of photos illustrates the various age stages of the Common Swift. 

The order of swifts (Apodiformes) comprises roughly 85–90 species worldwide, most of them tropical. Here in Germany, essentially only the Common Swift occurs. Further south, however – already from the Freiburg area onwards and throughout southern Europe – you can also encounter the considerably larger black-and-white Alpine Swift (Tachymarptis melba). Also native to southern Europe is the Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus), which closely resembles the Common Swift. It is not known how far north it has already spread as a breeding bird. All three species are migratory birds.