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Alpine Swift (Apus [Tachymarptis] melba) German name(s): "Alpensegler" Size: 20-23 cm; wing span 55-60 cm Weight: ca. 100 g (average)

Europe: Family Group 14 Family Group 14 Table Common Kingfisher European Bee-eater European Roller Common Swift Pallid Swift Alpine Swift Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Alpine Swifts are the largest swifts found in Europe. The upperparts, from frons to tail, are plain brown. The underparts are dominated by two broad white patches, one on the chin, the other from chest to belly, that are separated by a dark necklace. Like the necklace, the rest of the underparts, including the underwings, is dark greyish-brown. Only the inner wing coverts are darker brown. The white chin patch is often not visible in the field, making the species look dark-chinned. The irises are dark. The short bill is dark-grey. In flight the short legs are invisible. Juveniles resemble adults, but with pale edges to their feathers, giving them a scalloped appearance.

Taxonomy, classification See Alpine Swift at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information Some sources have moved the Alpine Swift from genus Apus to the newly defined genus Tachymarptis.

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Alpine Swift is available HERE . Alpine Swifts are a mostly migratory, but also partly sedentary species. Sedentary populations are found in near-coastal south-western Africa, the north-eastern part of the East African highlands, the northern coastal strip of the Hoorn of Africa, on Madagascar, and along the western coastal strip of India, southern India and on Sri Lanka. In addition, migratory populations overwinter in southern West Africa and in the East African highlands. A southern migratory population overwinters in/around Zimbabwe and breeds in eastern South Africa and Lesotho. The northern migratory populations disperse to southern Europe, parts of the coastal strip of Arabia, parts of the Levant (from north-eastern Egypt to Lebanon), Asia Minor, eastern Iran, and southern central Asia, from the Black Sea via the Caspian Sea to the Himalayas. In Europe Alpine Swifts occur as summer breeding migrants primarily in the southern parts, from around the northern Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea. Their distribution encompasses Iberia, southern France, the Alps, Italy, the Balkans the coastal areas around the Black Sea and the Caucasus mountains. They are also found on basically all islands of the Mediterranean and the northern Atlantic Ocean. There are occasional reports of sightings on the northern side of the Alps, mostly up to the latitude of the Danube River, and also in the southern half of the British Isles and Ireland. During the breeding season Alpine Swifts will be found near suitable nest sites (rockfaces, ruins, houses, bridges, viaducts), in the vicinity of good hunting grounds (e.g. near water). Outside the breeding season their movements will be dominated by the availability of flying insects, which are often abundant in wetlands.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports finding Alpine Swifts in the Sado estuary, Zambujal, Portugal, in March 2020. All sighting and photographic information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral/ventral view of an Alpine Swift in flight; note the white chin patch (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Zambujal, Portugal, March 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of an Alpine Swift in flight; note that the white chin patch is invisible (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Zambujal, Portugal, March 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of an Alpine Swift in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Zambujal, Portugal, March 2020]

Lateral view onto the upperparts of an Alpine Swift in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sado estuary, Zambujal, Portugal, March 2020]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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