Bird Album
Bates's Swift
Apus batesi (Sharpe, 1904)
14 cmLength22 gWeight
Bates's swift (Apus batesi) is a species of small swift in the family Apodidae which is found in western Africa.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Ghana, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea
Where and when it's recorded
Bates's Swift has been recorded at 36 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 7 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ankasa NPGhana39 records
- Kakum NP – Canopy Walkway & vicinityGhana22 records
- American University of Central AfricaEquatorial Guinea21 records
More places
- Kakum NP – CanopyGhana21 records
- PN de la LopéGabon19 records
- Antwikwaa – forest edge & farm scrubGhana18 records
- Kakum National ParkGhana18 records
- Nsuta ForestGhana13 records
- Ebekawopa (Abrafo) – 'farm scrub' habitatGhana11 records
- PN de la Lopé – La Lopé LodgeGabon9 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
Bates's swift (Apus batesi) is a species of small swift in the family Apodidae which is found in western Africa.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Bates's Swift?
The Bates's Swift is about 14 cm long and weighs around 22 g.
Where does the Bates's Swift live?
Its breeding range: Africa: Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast; Cameroon to Gabon. It is most often recorded in Ghana, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
When is the best time to see the Bates's Swift?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Bates's Swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Bates's Swift as Least Concern.
What does the Bates's Swift eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Bates's Swift in?
It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 14 cm
- Weight
- 22 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 123 mm
- Tail
- 60 mm
- Bill
- 8 mm
- Tarsus
- 10 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: Sierra Leone to Ivory Coast; Cameroon to Gabon
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Swifts Apodidae
- Genus
- Apus
Other birds in the genus Apus
Cape Verde SwiftApus alexandri
Common SwiftApus apus
Plain SwiftApus unicolor
Nyanza SwiftApus niansae
Pallid SwiftApus pallidus
African Black SwiftApus barbatus
Malagasy Black SwiftApus balstoni
Forbes-Watson's SwiftApus berliozi
Bradfield's SwiftApus bradfieldi
Pacific SwiftApus pacificus
Blyth's SwiftApus leuconyx
Cook's SwiftApus cooki
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from reference photos.
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