Listen to the common swift
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the common swift
The common swift is a bird in the family Apodidae (order Apodiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults have a wingspan of about 40 cm and weigh around 4 g.
What does the common swift sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as mauersegler and flight call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The common swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution, reflecting similar contextual development. The swifts' nearest relatives are the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts.
Its scientific name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek α, a, "without", and πούς, pous, "foot").
Related birds in the genus Apus
More from the family Apodidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a common swift sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the common swift on this page, including its mauersegler and flight call. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the common swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the common swift as “least concern”.
What family does the common swift belong to?
The common swift (Apus apus) belongs to the family Apodidae in the order Apodiformes.
Sources & credits
- Mauersegler by Jugrü – CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Oviedo, Asturias, Principado de Asturias, Spain by Luis Alvarez Menendez – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q25377 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Common swift – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Alexis Lours – CC BY 4.0