Swifts visit Scotland during the summer, flying from Central and Southern Africa. They arrive in mid-May and have just three months to raise their chicks before returning south; most of them will already have left on their journey home.
Swifts are sooty-brown in colour and have distinctive sickle-shaped wings.
They live their entire life on the wing - feeding, mating and even sleeping in flight. In fact the only time they land is when raising their chicks.
On summer evenings if the weather is fair, swifts gather in “screaming” parties chasing around the buildings where they nest.
Figures from the British Trust for Ornithology show that between 1994 and 2003 there has been a 62% decline in the population of Scottish swifts. It is thought that a major contribution to this decline is the loss of nesting and feeding sites.
In the past swifts nested exclusively in caves, tree-holes and cliffs. However, as human activity has reshaped the countryside, most swifts now nest in buildings.Nests can be found under tiles, under eaves, or in holes in walls. Swifts don’t damage buildings and make very little mess.