LC
Little Swift Apus affinis



Taxonomy

Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Christidis, L.; Boles, W. E. 2008. Systematics and taxonomy of Australian birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Cramp, S. and Perrins, C.M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Cramp, S.; Perrins, C. M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
del Hoyo, J.; Collar, N. J.; Christie, D. A.; Elliott, A.; Fishpool, L. D. C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International.

IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Critically Endangered Endangered Vulnerable
- - -

Red List history
Year Category Criteria
2016 Least Concern
2012 Least Concern
2009 Least Concern
2008 Least Concern
2004 Least Concern
2000 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1994 Lower Risk/Least Concern
1988 Lower Risk/Least Concern
Species attributes

Migratory status full migrant Forest dependency low
Land-mass type Average mass 18 g
Range

Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) 60,600,000 km2
Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) 55,800,000 km2
Severely fragmented? no -
Population
Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
Population size unknown - - -
Population trend increasing - suspected -
Generation length 12.5 years - - -

Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified. In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 900-2,500 pairs, which equates to 1,800-5,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International 2015), but Europe forms <5% of the global range.

Trend justification: The population is suspected to be increasing owing to a range expansion caused primarily by its adaptation to nesting in buildings (del Hoyo et al. 1999). The tiny European population is estimated to be decreasing by at least 10% in 37.5 years (three generations) (BirdLife International 2015).


Country/territory distribution
Country/Territory Presence Origin Resident Breeding visitor Non-breeding visitor Passage migrant
Afghanistan extant native yes
Algeria extant native
Angola extant native
Australia extant vagrant
Azerbaijan extant uncertain
Bahrain extant vagrant yes
Benin extant native
Botswana extant native
Bulgaria extant vagrant
Burkina Faso extant native
Burundi extant native
Cameroon extant native
Central African Republic extant native
Chad extant native
Congo extant native
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the extant native
Côte d'Ivoire extant native
Djibouti extant native
Egypt extant native
Equatorial Guinea extant native
Eritrea extant native
Eswatini extant native
Ethiopia extant native
Gabon extant native
Gambia extant native
Ghana extant native
Greece extant vagrant
Guinea extant native
Guinea-Bissau extant native
India extant native yes
Iran, Islamic Republic of extant native yes
Iraq extant native yes
Ireland extant vagrant
Israel extant native yes
Italy extant vagrant
Jordan extant native yes yes
Kenya extant native
Kuwait extant native yes
Lebanon extant native yes
Lesotho extant native
Liberia extant native
Libya extant native
Madagascar extant native
Malawi extant native
Maldives extant vagrant
Mali extant native
Malta extant vagrant
Mauritania extant native
Morocco extant native
Mozambique extant native
Namibia extant native
Niger extant native
Nigeria extant native
Oman extant native yes
Pakistan extant native yes
Palestine extant native yes
Portugal extant vagrant
Rwanda extant native
São Tomé e Príncipe extant native yes
Saudi Arabia extant native yes
Senegal extant native
Seychelles extant vagrant
Sierra Leone extant native
Somalia extant native
South Africa extant native
South Sudan extant native yes
Spain extant native yes
Sri Lanka extant native yes
Sudan extant native
Sweden extant vagrant
Syria extant native yes yes
Tajikistan extant native yes
Tanzania extant native
Timor-Leste extant native yes
Togo extant native
Tunisia extant native
Türkiye extant native yes
Turkmenistan extant native yes
Uganda extant native
United Arab Emirates extant native yes
United Kingdom extant vagrant
Uzbekistan extant native yes
Yemen extant native yes
Zambia extant native
Zimbabwe extant native

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Country/Territory IBA Name
Türkiye Dicle Valley
Türkiye Southern Euphrates Valley and Birecik Plains

Habitats & altitude
Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Savanna Dry suitable non-breeding
Savanna Dry suitable breeding
Shrubland Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation suitable non-breeding
Shrubland Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation suitable breeding
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-breeding
Shrubland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Altitude 0 - 3000 m Occasional altitudinal limits  

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Little Swift Apus affinis. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/little-swift-apus-affinis on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.