As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Thursday 23 May 2019

RSPB asks government to ensure developers build bird boxes into new homes amid fears swift numbers are plummeting



9 MAY 2019 • 6:00AM
The RSPB has urged the government to ensure developers build bird boxes into new homes amid fears swift numbers are plummeting.
The small bird, whose distinctive wings make it look almost like an arrow in flight, nests in nooks and crannies in buildings after flying over 6,000 miles from Africa in the spring.
They are one of the fastest birds in the world, able to reach up to 70mph and often not touching the ground for up to three years at a time.
Numbers of the animal have dwindled to fewer than 90,000 pairs, down from 150,000 pairs two decades ago.
Swifts are an urban species of bird which use spaces in rooftops or in old buildings to make their nests. The species has seen this serious decline in numbers partly because modern building methods can eliminate the swifts’ access to rooftops and as old buildings are demolished so reducing available nesting sites.

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