White-Rumped Swift
Apus caffer
Also known as: African White-Rumped Swift
Habitat
Aerial
Diet
Invertebrate
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
22 g
About This Species
A fast, aerial-feeding swift found over open country, cliffs and towns across parts of Africa, spending almost all its time on the wing catching insects and rarely landing except at nest sites in crevices or old swallow nests. Look for its scythe-shaped silhouette and white rump band as it wheels in loose flocks, especially around dusk when insect activity peaks.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Because swifts are almost always observed in flight, disturbance from ground level is minimal, but avoid disturbing nest crevices on cliffs or buildings, which can cause adults to abandon eggs or chicks.
- Regulations protecting nesting birds vary across its African range, so treat active nest sites as sensitive and keep well clear during the breeding period.
LCAvesApodiformesApodidae
Seasonal Activity
177,041 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
Traits
- Diet
- Invertebrate
- Foraging
- Aerial
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 22 g
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.