White-rumped Swift

ID Features: Slender and slightly longer-bodied than Little Swift, with forked tail and narrow crescent-shaped white rump (which hardly wraps onto lower flanks); throat clearly white. In fluid flight, looks slim-winged with pointed tail that only appears forked if spread (often while banking). Monotypic.
Habitat: More solitary than Little Swift, but pairs and small flocks are common from sea level to 3,000 meters in villages and towns, as well as near rocky cliffs and gorges. Nests in crevices and often in old mud nests built by swallows.
Locations: Ethiopia, South Africa, Cameroon, Tanzania, Malawi, Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Portugal, France

01 / 04

Upperparts

Little Swift

ID Features: Dark, with quite broad white rump patch which extends onto flanks (and so can be seen from below). In flight, characteristic silhouette with broad tail-base and short but quite broad, square-cut (rounded when spread) tail and rather broad inner primaries but short secondaries, so wing looks ample in center but trailing edge looks pinched in near body (effect amplified in spring when inner primaries have been shed, as species starts moult early). Flight often fluttering.
Habitat: Breeds in towns and villages but also on cliff faces, at times inside buildings provided free access exists. Partially resident. Widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa and in SW Asia, but also breeds in NW Africa and, very locally, in Spain and Israel.
Locations: Cameroon, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Gambia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Mauritania, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Senegal, India, Turkey, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Israel, Spain, Portugal

01 / 08

This is the area to introduce viewers to the context of this image. Briefly explain what it represents, why it matters, and how it aligns with the theme of your gallery.