Listen to the African black swift
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the African black swift
The African black swift is a bird in the family Apodidae (order Apodiformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”. Adults weigh around 42 g.
What does the African black swift sound like?
Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round. Listening for both helps with identification.
The recordings here are labelled as apus barbatus, roep te skeerpoort and a. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The African black swift (Apus barbatus), also known as the African swift or black swift, is a medium-sized bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya southwards to South Africa. The "black swifts" of Madagascar and the Comoros are either taken as two subspecies of the African black swift, or otherwise deemed a full species, the Malagasy black swift.
Related birds in the genus Apus
More from the family Apodidae
Frequently asked questions
What does an African black swift sound like?
You can hear 1 recording of the African black swift on this page, including its apus barbatus, roep te skeerpoort and a. Most birds have two kinds of vocalisation: songs, which are learned or innate phrases delivered mainly in spring and summer, and calls – brief contact, alarm and begging notes heard all year round.
Is the African black swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the African black swift as “least concern”.
What family does the African black swift belong to?
The African black swift (Apus barbatus) belongs to the family Apodidae in the order Apodiformes.
Sources & credits
- Apus barbatus, roep te Skeerpoort, a by JMK – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q1272743 – CC0
- Wikipedia: African black swift – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Trevor Hardaker, Cape Town, South Africa – CC BY-SA 3.0