Listen to the little swift
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About the little swift
The little swift is a bird in the family Apodidae (order Apodiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the little swift sound like?
Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
From Wikipedia
The little swift (Apus affinis) is a small species of swift found in Africa and southwestern Asia, and are vagrants and local breeders in southern Europe. They are found both in urban areas and at rocky cliffs where they build nests in a way typical of all members of the order Apodiformes. The genus name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow without feet (from Ancient Greek α, a, "without", and πούς, pous, "foot"). The Latin specific affinis means similar to or related to, but in this case the species that the little swift supposedly resembles is not clear from the description. A population formerly considered to be an eastern subspecies of little swift is now separated as a distinct species, the house swift (Apus nipalensis).
Related birds in the genus Apus
More from the family Apodidae
Frequently asked questions
What does a little swift sound like?
You can hear 2 recordings of the little swift on this page. Bird vocalisations are usually divided into songs – longer, often complex phrases used to defend territory and attract mates, sung mostly by males in the breeding season – and calls: short, simple sounds for contact, alarm, begging or flight.
Is the little swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the little swift as “least concern”.
What family does the little swift belong to?
The little swift (Apus affinis) belongs to the family Apodidae in the order Apodiformes.
Sources & credits
- Little Swift (Apus affinis) from Choorakkattukara ML155355721 by Manoj Karingamadathil – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Apus affinis, swerm sirkel oor Austin Roberts-vr, Pta, a by JMK – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q611324 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Little swift – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Francesco Veronesi from Italy – CC BY-SA 2.0