African Swift Apus barbatus Scientific name definitions

This large and bulky swift, also known as African Black Swift, can easily be confused with the winter migrant Common (or Eurasian) Swift (Apus apus), but if seen well, the Common Swift has more uniform dark upperparts whilst in the African Swift, the secondaries are pale showing more contrast with the upperparts. This species has a discontinuous distribution in sub-Saharan Africa. Its status, however, may be confounded by identification difficulties. It apparently mostly breeds colonially in moist highlands at 1,600–2,400 m, often in mixed colonies with other swifts (e.g., Alpine Swift [Apus melba]) nesting in the hollows of mature trees or cliffs. It can be common in the southeast of its range and is regarded as rare and uncommon in the west.