Apus pallidus
Silhouette: PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The pallid swift (Apus pallidus) is a swift (order Apodiformes). Swifts have very short legs which they use only for clinging to vertical surfaces. The genus name Apus is Latin for a swift, thought by the ancients to be a type of swallow with no feet (from Ancient Greek α, a, "without", and πούς, pous, "foot"), and pallidus is Latin for "pale". Like other swifts they never settle voluntarily on the ground, but spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their beaks. They drink on the wing.
The pallid swift was first described by English naturalist George Ernest Shelley in 1870. This 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in) long species is very similar to the common swift, and separation is only possible with good views. Like its relative, it has a short forked tail and very long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang.
It is entirely dark except for a large white throat patch which is frequently visible from a distance. It is chunkier and browner than common swift, and the slightly paler flight feathers, underparts and rump give more contrast than that species. It also has a scalier looking belly and subtly different flight... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marrakesh | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 2 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 3 | Dubai | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 4 | Riyadh | 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | |
| 5 | Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 6 | Luxor | 🇪🇬 Egypt | |
| 7 | Amman | 🇯🇴 Jordan | |
| 8 | Casablanca | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 9 | Fez | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 10 | Tangier | 🇲🇦 Morocco |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid Swift sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 127 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 153 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and August
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pallid Swift in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallid Swift sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Pallid Swift sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Doñana National Park (Spain, about 10%) and Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pallid Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (127 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
