SongLark
Bird call
Common Swift (Apus apus) call
Shrill, screaming parties racing around rooftops on summer evenings.
Listen to the Common Swift call
A field recording of the Common Swift (Apus apus) by Mandy Henshall, shared on iNaturalist. Listen for the Common Swift in urban habitats.
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Sounds similar
Birds that sound similar to the Common Swift
These birds belong to the swift family, like the Common Swift, so their calls can sound alike.
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Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
Thin rippling twitters from overhead, always near sugar palms.
Questions
Questions about the Common Swift
What does the Common Swift sound like?
Shrill, screaming parties racing around rooftops on summer evenings. Listen to the recording above.
Which birds sound like the Common Swift?
The Asian Palm Swift sounds similar.
Where can I hear the Common Swift?
SongLark teaches it in its Birds of England course.
How can I learn the Common Swift call?
In SongLark's Birds of England course, it comes in Level 4: Spring Migrants. SongLark teaches it by ear with real field recordings.
Courses
Learn this call in
SongLark teaches the Common Swift in its Birds of England course. Each course plays real field recordings and brings every bird back for review just before you would forget it.
- In Birds of England, the Common Swift comes in Level 4: Spring Migrants. That Level is about summer visitors back from Africa.
Learn it with these birds in Level 4 of Birds of England
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Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla
A rich, fluty warble that starts with a scratchy chatter and rises to a clear, loud finish.
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Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Says its name: a steady, uneven 'chiff-chaff-chiff-chiff-chaff', one of the first songs of spring.
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Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
A sweet, wistful cascade of notes that slides down the scale and fades away.
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Common Whitethroat Curruca communis
A brief, scratchy, hurried warble, often given in a short song flight above a hedge.
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Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
A cheerful, twittering warble with a dry rattle; long tail streamers over farms and fields.
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Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
The famous 'cuck-oo', repeated over and over in spring; a grey, hawk-like summer visitor.
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Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
A fast, excited jumble of chattering, harsh notes and mimicry, varied and never repeated.
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Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
A steady, rhythmic chatter, 'chirruc-chirruc-jit-jit', from deep inside reedbeds.
Get SongLark
Learn Common Swift in SongLark
Install SongLark, sign in, and choose a course that teaches the Common Swift.
- Your first course is free. When you first sign in, you choose one course to keep.
- On iPhone? SongLark is coming soon to the App Store.
- One account, every device. Your progress syncs between devices.