Swifts of South Africa
10 swifts recorded in South Africa on the eBird network and profiled in the Birbs encyclopedia — the full list, with photos, sounds and ID notes, plus what's near you now.
10 swifts have been recorded in South Africa on eBird, the global citizen-science database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and carry a full profile in the Birbs encyclopedia. Every bird below is a member of this group — the family Apodidae. Start with the well-known species, browse the complete list, then check which are being reported near you right now.
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Swifts of South Africa to know first
African Black SwiftApus barbatus
African Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvus
Alpine SwiftTachymarptis melba
Böhm’s SpinetailNeafrapus boehmi
Bradfield’s SwiftApus bradfieldi
Common SwiftApus apus
Horus SwiftApus horus
Little SwiftApus affinis
Mottled SpinetailTelacanthura ussheri
White-rumped SwiftApus caffer
Keep exploring
- Birds of South Africa
- Hawks, Eagles & Kites of South Africa (51 species)
- Old World Flycatchers & Chats of South Africa (42 species)
- Sandpipers & Allies of South Africa (37 species)
- Petrels & Shearwaters of South Africa (35 species)
- Ducks, Geese & Swans of South Africa (33 species)
- Gulls, Terns & Skimmers of South Africa (33 species)
- Cisticolas & Allies of South Africa (32 species)
- Larks of South Africa (27 species)
- Weavers of South Africa (25 species)
- Wagtails & Pipits of South Africa (24 species)
- Waxbills & Munias of South Africa (23 species)
- Herons, Egrets & Bitterns of South Africa (21 species)
- Plovers of South Africa (20 species)
- Swallows & Martins of South Africa (19 species)
- Cuckoos of South Africa (18 species)
Swifts in other regions
- Swifts of Indonesia (22 species)
- Swifts of Brazil (19 species)
Species and counts come from the eBird network; "recorded" means reported by birders to eBird. Family grouping follows the IOC World Bird List. Tap any bird for its full profile.
Frequently asked questions
How many swifts are found in South Africa?
10 swifts that we profile appear on South Africa's eBird-reported checklist. The full A–Z list is on this page; the real total can shift as eBird records are added.
Are all of these swifts really found there?
Yes — each one is on South Africa's eBird checklist (reported by birders to the Cornell Lab's eBird), and each of these swifts belongs to the family group named on this page. We don't rank them by abundance, because that varies by season and locale.
Where can I see swifts in South Africa right now?
Use Birds Near You for live, location-based reports, or turn on rare-bird alerts to hear when a notable one shows up close to you.
