How to identify Little and White-rumped Swift

For newer birders, swifts can be a tricky group of birds to identify. On many bird walks I have led, people have asked me to help identify different swift species. In this short article, I will give you two simple ways to distinguish between the Little Swift and the White-rumped Swift.

There are three swift species in the Southern African region with a white rump (the rump is the section just above the tail of the bird):

• Little Swift

• Horus Swift

• White-rumped Swift

• Other species that may be added to the list include Böhm's Spinetail and Mottled Spinetail.

For this article, I am going to help you distinguish between the region's two most widespread swift species. Thank you to Trevor Hardaker for supplying the photos for this article—we always appreciate your support!

1. Little Swift

Take note of the square tail.

Take note of the broad white band that wraps around the flanks of the bird (side areas below the folded wing)

2. White-Rumped Swift

Take note of the narrow, white 'U' on the rump

Take note of the deeply forked tail

So to separate Little from White-rumped Swift:

1. Take note of the shape of the tail - Little has a square tail, White-rumped has a deeply forked tail

2. Take note of the white on the rump - Little has a broad white rump that wraps around the flanks of the bird, White-rumped has a narrow, white 'U' shape on the rump.

We hope that this helps identify these two species. Let us know if there are any other species that you would like us to help separate in future articles.