ID: Pallid vs Common Swift

19/2/2016

I still find Pallid Swift a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde character; sometimes when conditions are perfect they can be blindingly obvious, but when they're not distinguishing the two can be one of birdings' toughest identification problems. Watching Pallid Swifts when they arrive in southern Spain in February always helps as Common haven't arrived yet! I did this sketch to try out some new cloured pencils and to go with a note I've written for the Andalucian Bird Society's magazine. It's not perfect, but I hope it helps!

4 Comments

Sławomir

19/7/2020 12:29:48 pm

Hi, Maybe you know how long usually Pallid Swifts stay at their breeding sites? You could find them there still at the end of August?
All the best
Sławomir

John Cantelo

19/7/2020 12:42:48 pm

The peak of their southward movement is the first half of August but they linger for longer so it's quite possible (but not guaranteed) to see them in late August.

Sławomir

19/7/2020 01:10:47 pm

Thank you very much for you right away response. I am planning to visit Troodos in Cyprus at that time, exactly the place where they breed so maybe there is still some chance. Then at the beginning of October I am going to spent a week in Malaga but that might be too late, because two year ago I was looking for them in October on a tiny island of Tabarca near Alicante but without any success. All the best Sławomir

Stuart Clark

31/5/2022 05:15:40 am

Hi,think we have seen some Pallid Swift's in North West Mallorca, noticed the slight differences you explained,to those we see in the south of England

About me ...

Hi I'm John Cantelo. I've been birding seriously since the 1960s when I met up with some like minded folks (all of us are still birding!) at Taunton's School in Southampton. I have lived in Kent , where I taught History and Sociology, since the late 1970s. In that time I've served on the committees of both my local RSPB group and the county ornithological society (KOS). I have also worked as a part-time field teacher for the RSPB at Dungeness. Having retired I now spend as much time as possible in Alcala de los Gazules in SW Spain. When I'm not birding I edit books for the Crossbill Guides series.

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