Common Swift
Common SwiftCommon SwiftCommon SwiftCommon Swift

Common Swift

Apus apus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Table Mountain National Park
16 Verified records at Table Mountain National Park
March Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The common swift (Apus apus) is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between the groups are due to convergent evolution, reflecting similar contextual development. The swifts' nearest relatives are the New World hummingbirds and the Southeast Asian treeswifts. Its scientific name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek α, a, "without", and πούς, pous, "foot"). Swifts have very short legs which they use primarily for clinging to vertical surfaces (hence the German name Mauersegler, literally meaning "wall-glider"). They never settle voluntarily on the ground where they would be vulnerable to accidents and predation, and non-breeding individuals may spend up to ten months in continuous flight. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Swift sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Table Mountain National Park

African Swift
LC

African Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus barbatus

10–20% · With luck
White-rumped Swift
LC

White-rumped Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus caffer

<5% · Rare
Little Swift
LC

Little Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus affinis

<5% · Rare
Horus Swift
LC

Horus Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus horus

Insufficient data
Alpine Swift
LC

Alpine Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Tachymarptis melba

5–10% · With luck
African Palm-Swift
LC

African Palm-Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cypsiurus parvus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
30–40%
2 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
20–30%
3 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
20–30%
4 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
5 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
6 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
7 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
8 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
20–30%
9 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
20–30%
10 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
20–30%
11 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
12 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
10–20%
13 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
10–20%
14 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
10–20%
15 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
10–20%
16 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
10–20%
17 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
10–20%
18 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
19 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
10–20%
20 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
5–10%
21 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
5–10%
22 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
5–10%
23 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
5–10%
24 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
5–10%
25 Kafue National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
5–10%
26 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
5–10%
27 Tsavo West National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
5–10%
28 Ruaha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
5–10%
29 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
30 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
31 Liwonde National Park 🇲🇼 Malawi
<5%
32 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
33 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
34 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
<5%
35 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
36 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
37 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
38 Mkomazi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
39 Tarangire National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
40 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
41 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
<5%
42 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
43 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
44 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
<5%
45 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
<5%
46 Kidepo Valley National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
47 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
48 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
49 Queen Elizabeth National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
50 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
51 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
<5%
52 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
<5%
53 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
54 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
55 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
56 Kibale National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
57 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
58 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
<5%
59 Lake Mburo National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
<5%
60 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
61 Masai Mara National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
62 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
<5%
63 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
64 Taï National Park 🇨🇮 Ivory Coast
Insufficient data
65 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
Insufficient data
66 Mikumi National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
67 Lake Manyara National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
Insufficient data
68 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
69 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
Insufficient data
70 Akagera National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
71 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Insufficient data
72 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
73 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
Insufficient data
74 Vatnajokull National Park 🇮🇸 Iceland
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Common Swift in Table Mountain National Park?

About 0% of wildlife watchers report a Common Swift sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Common Swift in Table Mountain National Park?

March has the highest sighting rate for Common Swift in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Table Mountain National Park