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LC
Little Swift Apus affinis

IUCN Red List history

Year Category
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 17.9 g

Distribution

  Estimate Data quality
Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) 22,200,000
Number of locations -
Fragmentation -

Population & trend

  Estimate Data quality Derivation Year of estimate
No. of mature individuals Unknown not applicable Not Applicable 0
Population trend Increasing -
Number of subpopulations - - -
Largest subpopulation - - -
Generation length (yrs) 12.5 - - -
Population justification: The global population size has not been quantified. In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 900-2,500 breeding pairs, equating to 2,700-7,500 individuals (BirdLife International 2004), 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).

Country/Territory distribution

Country/Territory Occurrence status Extinct Breeding Non-breeding Passage
Afghanistan Native No Yes    
Algeria Native No      
Angola Native No      
Australia Vagrant No      
Azerbaijan Unknown No      
Bahrain Vagrant No     Yes
Benin Native No      
Botswana Native No      
Bulgaria Vagrant No      
Burkina Faso Native No      
Burundi Native No      
Cameroon Native No      
Côte d'Ivoire Native No      
Central African Republic Native No      
Chad Native No      
Congo Native No      
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the Native No      
Djibouti Native No      
Egypt Native No      
Equatorial Guinea Native No      
Eritrea Native No      
Ethiopia Native No      
Gabon Native No      
Gambia Native No      
Ghana Native No      
Greece Vagrant No      
Guinea Native No      
Guinea-Bissau Native No      
India Native No Yes    
Iran, Islamic Republic of Native No Yes    
Iraq Native No      
Ireland Vagrant No      
Israel Native No Yes    
Italy Vagrant No      
Jordan Native No Yes   Yes
Kenya Native No      
Kuwait Native No   Yes  
Lebanon Native No     Yes
Lesotho Native No      
Liberia Native No      
Libya Native No      
Madagascar Native No      
Malawi Native No      
Maldives Vagrant No      
Mali Native No      
Malta Vagrant No      
Mauritania Native No      
Morocco Native No      
Mozambique Native No      
Namibia Native No      
Niger Native No      
Nigeria Native No      
Oman Native No     Yes
Pakistan Native No Yes    
Palestinian Authority Territories Native No Yes    
Portugal Vagrant No      
Rwanda Native No      
Saudi Arabia Native No      
São Tomé e Príncipe Native No Yes    
Senegal Native No      
Seychelles Vagrant No      
Sierra Leone Native No      
Somalia Native No      
South Africa Native No      
South Sudan Native No      
Spain Native No Yes    
Sri Lanka Native No Yes    
Sudan Native No      
Swaziland Native No      
Sweden Vagrant No      
Syria Native No   Yes Yes
Tajikistan Native No Yes    
Tanzania Native No      
Timor-Leste Native No      
Togo Native No      
Tunisia Native No      
Turkey Native No Yes    
Turkmenistan Native No Yes    
Uganda Native No      
United Arab Emirates Native No     Yes
United Kingdom Vagrant No      
Uzbekistan Native No Yes    
Yemen Native No Yes    
Zambia Native No      
Zimbabwe Native No      

Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria

Country/Territory IBA Name IBA link
Turkey Dicle Valley site factsheet
Turkey Southern Euphrates Valley and Birecik Plains site factsheet

Habitats & altitude

Habitat (level 1) Habitat (level 2) Importance Occurrence
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable non-breeding
Forest Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable breeding
Grassland Subtropical/Tropical Dry suitable non-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 (2013) Species factsheet: Apus affinis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013. Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 22/05/2013.

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.

Key facts
Current IUCN Red List category Least Concern
Family Apodidae (Swifts)
Species name author (Gray, 1830)
Population size Unknown mature individuals
Population trend Increasing
Distribution size (breeding/resident) 22,200,000 km2
Country endemic? No
Links to further information
- Summary information on this species
- Climate change species distributions