White-rumped swift

Apus caffer

The White-rumped swift (Apus caffer) is a bird found in South Africa and Kenya. Open country and cliffs across Africa, and parts of southern Europe. It eats insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Apus caffer
Region	Africa
Found in	South Africa and Kenya

🏡 Where the White-rumped swift lives

Open country and cliffs across Africa, and parts of southern Europe.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It nests in old swallow nests made of mud.

Hear the White-rumped swift

Recorded by Tony Archer (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC466641. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the White-rumped swift

Where does the White-rumped swift live?

The White-rumped swift lives in South Africa and Kenya. Open country and cliffs across Africa, and parts of southern Europe.

What does the White-rumped swift eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the White-rumped swift endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.