Common Swift

🔍 Overview

The quintessential summer sky-dweller in Sussex, Swifts arrive in May and leave by August. Spend nearly all daylight hours on the wing.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Size: Medium (16–17 cm)

Plumage: Uniform dark brown

Distinctive Marks: Scythe-shaped wings, forked silhouette

Bill: Very small

Tail: Deeply forked but short

Flight: Fast, acrobatic

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Common in villages, towns, and cliffs from April to August, especially near roads and rivers.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

High screaming “screech” in flight. Feed and drink on the wing; nest in roof spaces and crevices.

🍴 Diet

Airborne insects and spiders.

📸 Birding Tip

Look for screaming flocks at dusk over towns. Nest boxes help spotting nesting sites. Lewes is known as the ‘Swift friendly town’ with an estimate 10% of Sussex swifts nesting there. Lancing Ring and Steep Down are a good bet to see them.