- Apus pallidus
Description
Photo taken: Calabria, Italy
Identification
Apus pallidus RANGE Breeds mainly around the Mediterranean in Spain, parts of France and Italy, the Balearics, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. Rare on Adriatic coasts but widespread in Greece, many Greek islands and Cyprus. Common and widespread in North-West Africa from Morocco to Tunisia, breeds discontinuously on Libyan coast and in Egypt mainly in the Nile Delta and Valley. Scattered populations in Turkey, the rift valley of Israel and west Jordan and in southern Iraq east to Iran and Pakistan. Also breeds on Madeira, the Canary Islands and Atlantic coasts of Iberia and North-West Africa. Breeds inland in a few widely scattered areas and has bred in Lebanon and Kuwait. Exact range difficult to determine due to confusion with Common Swift.
Most migrate to winter in sub-Saharan Africa, leaving September-early November and returning January (Canary Islands) to early April (southern France). Occasional winter records from breeding range and present in Egypt in winter. Vagrants recorded in Britain (c.39 but only since 1977), in spring and October-November, mainly in southern England but also north to Shetland. Elsewhere, recorded in Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, Hungary, Estonia and Norway.
HABITAT Usually more coastal than Common Swift but also in river valleys. Feeds over open country and towns, breeds in crevices in buildings or cliffs.
SUBSPECIES There are three races generally recognised. Nominate pallidus is found from inland North Africa and the Middle East to Iran and Pakistan is pale greyish-brown with extensive white throat, brehmorum from the Canary Islands to Cyprus and Turkey including coastal North Africa is darker and browner with a reduced throat patch and the darkest race is illyricus from around the eastern Adriatic. Race illyricus has occurred in Denmark as a vagrant and the first Scottish record, in Orkney in 1996, appeared to belong to race brehmorum.
