Preservation of Existing Breeding Colonies
The Common Swift is site-faithful and in Germany is almost exclusively dependent on human structures for its nesting sites. Once occupied, breeding colonies are used for decades. During renovations and roof work, countless old swift colonies are sealed off, partly out of ignorance, partly deliberately, because dirt and vermin are mistakenly feared. Modern architecture hardly creates any more niches for breeding. Thus, breeding conditions deteriorate from year to year, and if the current development continues, the Common Swift will soon be among the endangered species.
Creation of New Nesting Opportunities
As the number of long-used swift nesting sites is constantly declining, it is necessary to develop new nesting sites. Breeding sites are in high demand and fiercely contested, because countless swifts cannot reproduce during their lifetime due to a lack of nesting sites. During renovations or roof work, optimal nesting opportunities for swifts can often be created without great effort. There is already good experience with the acceptance of new nesting sites in the form of nest bricks or nest boxes, provided they are set up near existing colonies.
Avoidance of Civilization-Related Hazards
Due to the trend toward huge glass surfaces as building elements, the risk of accidents for birds in cities, especially fast-flying hunters like swifts and swallows, has grown considerably. It is urgently necessary to avoid senseless bird deaths through appropriate glass etching or similar measures.
Another source of danger is collisions with vehicles, especially in bad weather, when swifts and swallows hunting for food chase close over the roadways of major streets. Announcements on radio and television and temporary speed limits could reduce the danger to birds as well as to people.
Professional Veterinary Care for Injured Swifts
As permanent fliers and long-distance migrants, swifts are subject to extreme living conditions. Therefore, very specialized knowledge is required when assessing injuries (presentation to a veterinarian specializing in birds). In swifts, certain injuries, such as wing fractures, must be evaluated considerably differently and more uncompromisingly than in other wild birds. Only in this way can affected birds be spared avoidable suffering, pain, and damage in accordance with Section 1 of the Animal Welfare Act.
Restoration of Fitness for the Wild
According to Section 20g (4) of the Federal Nature Conservation Act, the goal of any treatment of an injured swift must be the restoration of fitness for the wild. Swifts that are no longer fit for the wild must be euthanized.
Keeping swifts that are no longer fit for the wild in captivity must be fundamentally rejected for animal welfare and nature conservation reasons:
Swifts spend their entire lives flying and in association with conspecifics. They cannot be kept in a species-appropriate manner in human care. Action must be taken against obstinate "animal lovers" who keep swifts in captivity within the framework of legal possibilities. The responsible authorities must be informed why keeping swifts in captivity must be regarded as cruelty to animals.
Species-Appropriate Rearing of Orphaned Young Swifts
Particularly due to the progressive destruction of their nesting sites, but also due to the loss of adult birds (see: Avoidance of Civilization-Related Hazards), young swifts that are not yet able to fly are increasingly ending up in human hands. Young swifts found on the ground always depend on human help, as adult birds do not feed outside the nest.
However, if human help is not oriented to the special needs of these highly complicated charges (sole feeding with insects, feeding technique, housing), the exact opposite is often achieved: Despite great commitment on the part of the finders, incorrect care often leads to irreparable damage and the unnecessary death of the affected animals.
Through professional and, if necessary, veterinary medical care, a large proportion of the foundlings can be released into the wild without problems and thus saved for the natural population.
Reintegration into Nature
The Common Swift spends only three months of the year in its European breeding grounds to raise here - unlike native songbirds - its single annual brood with a maximum of three young. The loss of this one brood, as often happens for the reasons outlined above, can have fatal long-term effects on population maintenance.
The reintegration of hand-raised young swifts into nature makes a significant contribution to the preservation of the natural population and can therefore be considered biologically meaningful. A release phase is not necessary, as young swifts are immediately self-sufficient after fledging.
Distribution of Information Material
Various groups of people who, as experience shows, repeatedly come into contact with swifts should be addressed at any time, made aware of the problems of the swift, educated, and encouraged to help.
This concerns, for example, homeowners, roofing companies, architects and urban planners, nature conservation authorities, bird protection organizations, animal shelters, veterinarians, and care stations.
Public Relations
Injured or orphaned swifts are, as is well known, found very often in summer. Such animals are to be considered emergencies that need quick and professional help.
For this purpose, it is necessary to draw public attention to these problems through the media at the appropriate time. Time and again, serious mistakes in dealing with these birds are made due to misinformation, causing severe damage. Through lectures and publications, experiences and current findings are communicated and experts as well as laypeople are sensitized to this topic (e.g., veterinarians, animal shelters, schools, bird protection groups, ...).
Banding for Scientific Purposes
Since the Common Swift, due to its exclusively airborne lifestyle, largely eludes conventional methods of bird observation and many aspects of its life (e.g., migration routes) are still hardly known, every opportunity for banding must be utilized. Thanks to official banding programs, important data on migration routes and whereabouts during the nine-month stay in Africa can be obtained.
The banding of hand-raised young birds is of particular importance here, since swift breeding colonies are usually hardly accessible. In this way, however, a large number can be banded every year.