Bates’s Swift

Apus batesi

Bates's Swift (Apus batesi) — Swifts of Africa.

The Bates’s Swift (Apus batesi) is a member of the Apodidae family found in Africa. Adults weigh 22.1 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

Conservation status

IUCN Red List

LC Least Concern

Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.

Where it fits

Class Aves
Order Apodiformes
Family Apodidae Swifts
Genus Apus
Species batesi

Where it lives

Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast; Cameroon to Gabon

Africa

Quick facts

Weight: 22.1 g
Diet: Invertebrate-eaters
Family: Apodidae
Order: Apodiformes
Habitat: Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Least Concern

Scarce Swift

Schoutedenapus myoptilus

Data Deficient

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The Bates’s Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Behaviour

A bird of dense forest, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.

Migration

The Bates’s Swift is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

The Bates’s Swift (Apus batesi) is a species of bird in the Apodidae family, part of the order Apodiformes. Its range spans Africa. Its distribution covers AF Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast; Cameroon to Gabon.

It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 22.1 g, with a wing length of about 12.3 cm and a tail of around 6 cm.

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 299,000 km².

Frequently asked questions

How big is the Bates’s Swift?

The Bates’s Swift is a small bird that weighs around 22.1 g.

Where does the Bates’s Swift live?

The Bates’s Swift is found across Africa with a range covering AF Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast; Cameroon to Gabon, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the Bates’s Swift belong to?

The Bates’s Swift (Apus batesi) belongs to the Apodidae family, in the order Apodiformes.

What does the Bates’s Swift eat?

The Bates’s Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.

Does the Bates’s Swift migrate?

The Bates’s Swift is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.

Is the Bates’s Swift endangered?

The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.

How large is the Bates’s Swift's range?

The Bates’s Swift has a mapped global range of about 299,000 km².