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 | ![]() |
| Turkey | 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 | 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 | |
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