MyKrugerHoliday
Photo: Lefteris Stavrakas · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source ↗
Alpine Swift
Witpenswindswael · Tachymarptis melba
A large, powerful swift, brown with a white belly crossed by a brown band, dwarfing the park's other swifts. It races over the bush on long scythe-shaped wings, covering huge distances each day in search of airborne insects. Mostly a warm-season visitor, scarce in winter.
Log your Alpine Swift sighting — free →How to identify it
Very large brown swift with a white belly and a brown breast-band; powerful, scything flight.
Listen for its call
A loud, trilling scream that rises and falls.
Where to see it in Kruger
High overhead, often near rocky hills and gorges, mainly in summer.
Did you know
It is one of the fastest birds, racing through the sky in level flight.
See it? Log it — free.
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