Common Swift

Common Swift
This species is defined as a Review Species . Please submit your records of this species via our record submission page .

Scientific Name: Apus apus

Malay Name: Layang-layang Sabit Erasia

Chinese Name: 普通雨燕

Range: Breeds from Europe to East Asia; winters primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, but some Asian populations appear to be migratory as well.

Taxonomy: Polytypic. Subspecies are: apus, pekinensis.

Local Subspecies: pekinensis

Size: 17 cm

Identification: A mid-size swift with a typical slender appearance; sickle-shaped wings and a forked tail. In most views appears to be all dark blackish-brown, but the throat and forehead are pale whitish. Distinguished from the similar-looking Pacific Swift by the lack of a white rump and a clear demarcation between the white throat patch and the rest of the body.

Similar looking species: Asian Palm Swift, Pacific Swift, House Swift

Habitat: An exclusively aerial species on migration over a variety of open habitats.

Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds on the wing on flying invertebrates.

Local Status: Vagrant

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2016)

Featured articles:

Featured reports: Nov 2022

Past records in our database:

Showing only accepted records. Note that records currently under review are also not displayed, and the list may not be a full list of records of this species in Singapore. For more details, check the database here.

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Common Swift Apus apus
Average number of individuals by week based on Singapore Bird Database data, Jul 2014 to Jun 2024 (all records)
Peak weeks Oct 08-Oct 14, Oct 22-Oct 28, Nov 05-Nov 11
Early date 09 Oct 2020
Late date 10 Nov 2022
All three of this species' records were from Oct to Nov. It lacks the white rump of the similar and much more common Pacific Swift, and also has a clearer demarcation between the white throat patch and rest of the body.
Common Swift at Jelutong Tower. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Common Swift at Jelutong Tower. Photo credit: Francis Yap
Common Swift at Jelutong Tower. Photo credit: Francis Yap

External Links:

Conservation Status: IUCN Red List Page

Sound Recordings: xeno-canto Link

Wikipedia Entry: Wikipedia Link

eBird Species page: eBird (Common Swift)

References:

BirdLife International. (2016). Apus apus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22686800A86111691.en. Accessed on 1 January 2023

Chantler, P., Boesman, P. F. D., & Kirwan, G. M. (2020). Common Swift (Apus apus), version 1.0. In del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D. A., & de Juana, E. (Eds.), Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.comswi.01

RECOMMENDED CITATION

Bird Society of Singapore. (n.d.). Common Swift. Retrieved on June 6, 2025 from https://singaporebirds.com/species/common-swift.

To top