Swift Awareness Week: Learn more about red-listed UK bird with RSPB events all across the country

Swift Awareness Week is coming in hot, and it’s perhaps the best time of year for both birdwatchers to score another tick on their year list - and for nature lovers to learn a little more about these small but extraordinary birds.

Along with their fellow migratory lookalikes - swallows and martins - swifts started returning to the British Isles in May. But peak swift season, when their numbers are bolstered by younger, non-breeding birds returning to the UK too, is still to come. Marked by ‘Swift Awareness Week - which runs from Saturday, 29 June to Sunday, 7 July - the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is this year promoting a series of walks, talks and events with local swift experts all around the country.

Once incredibly common, swifts are now unfortunately on the UK’s conservation red list due to a sharp fall in numbers in recent years. The RSPB says the reasons behind this are complex, but there are two major issues Britain’s swifts face: the old building nooks and crannies they rely on for nesting increasingly being sealed up or renovated away, and declining numbers of flying insects - which they rely on for food.

Luckily swifts are still plentiful, and there are steps people can take to turn their fortunes around, such as installing a ‘swift brick’ in your wall or putting up a special nest box for them. Here’s a taster of what you could learn if you take part in a Swift Awareness Week event this year - as well as how to find your closest one:

Fantastic swifts, and where to find them

Despite their similar appearance and propensity for aerial acrobatics, swifts are not actually related to swallows or martens, and are actually more closely related to hummingbirds. These little birds are also slightly larger, and are a solid, sooty brown colour - which can help you to tell them apart in the sky.

They live nearly their entire life on the wing, sleeping, eating, bathing and mating in the sky, only touching down to raise their chicks - a process which takes about six weeks. After they fledge, young birds can spend years airborne before they are old enough to breed. The UK’s swift population is thought to have some of the longest migration routes in the world, travelling thousands of miles to and from southern Africa every year.

Although the peregrine falcon holds the title for fastest bird overall with diving speeds of up to 300 kilometres an hour (or 186 miles), the aptly-named swift is no slug. When it comes to level flight speed, they can beat out most other birds - reaching speeds of up to 111kmh (69mph).

When they do land, the RSPB says they like to nest in houses and churches, squeezing through the same tiny gaps inside roofs year after year. Although their population is under increasing threat, swifts can still be spotted across most of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland - as well as western parts of Scotland - dancing high in the sky above towns, villages, and urban areas, until their departure in late July to early August.

How to find a Swift Awareness Week event near you

There are already dozens of events on the RSPB’s schedule across England, Wales and Scotland, some even stretching out beyond Swift Awareness Week. Organised by community conservation groups, local Wildlife Trusts, RSPB experts and bird lovers alike, some require a small donation - but many others are completely free. Some have limited spaces, so it’s well worth booking ahead.

For the full list of events, you should check out the RSPB’s Swift Awareness Week page here. The list is constantly being expanded to include new events too, so if you don’t find anything in your neighbourhood, be sure to check back.

Amber Allott is NationalWorld’s environment and sustainability specialist, covering all things green - from climate to conservation. If you liked this article you can follow Amber on X (Twitter) here and sign up for the free daily NationalWorld Today newsletter here - with Amber bringing you the UK's most important, pressing, weird and wonderful environmental stories every Tuesday.