Cape Verde swift
Apus alexandri Hartert, 1901
The cape verde swift (Apus alexandri) is a species in the family Apodidae, order Apodiformes. Recorded adults weigh about 23.4 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Quick facts about the cape verde swift
- Weight
- 23.4 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- rockysrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2src for Young per litter or clutch
- Lifestyle
- Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the cape verde swift live?
Not recorded
What is the cape verde swift?
The Cape Verde swift or Alexander's swift (Apus alexandri) is a small bird of the swift family found only in the Cape Verde Islands. It has been recorded from all the islands except Santa Luzia although it probably breeds only on Santiago, Fogo, Brava, Santo Antão and São Nicolau. It is generally common with a stable population and is not considered to be threatened. The name Alexander's swift commemorates Boyd Alexander, an English ornithologist who led two expeditions to the islands in 1897.
From the Wikipedia article “Cape Verde swift” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Verde_swift&oldid=1379752109), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the cape verde swift endangered?
The cape verde swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the cape verde swift classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderApodiformes
- familyApodidae
- genusApus
- SpeciesApus alexandri Hartert, 1901
Synonyms Apus unicolor alexandri
Other names and names in other languages (40)
- Alexander's swiftEnglish
- Alexander's swiftEnglish
- سمامة الإسكندرArabic
- falciot de Cap VerdCatalan
- rorýs AlexandrůvCzech
- rorýs kapverdskýCzech
- coblyn Cabo VerdeWelsh
- Kap Verde-sejlerDanish
- KapverdenseglerGerman
- AlexanderseglerGerman
- kaboverda apodoEsperanto
- Kaboverda apusoEsperanto
- Vencejo de Cabo VerdeSpanish
- kapverdi piiritaja e. kapverdi piirpääsukeEstonian
- kapverdenkiitäjäFinnish
- Martinet du Cap-VertFrench
- Gabhlán gaoithe rinn veirdeIrish
- zelenortska čiopaCroatian
- zöld-foki sarlósfecskeHungarian
- EysvölungurIcelandic
- Rondone di AlexanderItalian
- Rondone di Capo VerdeItalian
- ケープベルデアマツバメJapanese
- salinis čiurlysLithuanian
- Kaboverdes svīreLatvian
- Kaapverdische GierzwaluwDutch
- kappverdeseilerNorwegian
- jerzyk wyspowyPolish
- andorinhão-de-cabo-verdePortuguese
- Стриж АлександраRussian
- Кабовердский стрижRussian
- KappVerdespálfuNorthern Sami
- dážďovník sedlatýSlovak
- zelenortski hudournikSlovenian
- kapverdeseglareSwedish
- นกแอ่นอเล็กซานเดอร์Thai
- Kap Verd EbabiliTurkish
- серпокрилець острівнийUkrainian
- 亚氏雨燕Chinese
- 亞歷山大雨燕Chinese
Relatives of the cape verde swift
Other species in the same genus Apus.

Common swift
Apus apus

Pallid swift
Apus pallidus

Little swift
Apus affinis

Pacific swift
Apus pacificus

White-rumped swift
Apus caffer

Plain swift
Apus unicolor
CompareCape Verde swift vs Common swiftCape Verde swift vs Pallid swiftCape Verde swift vs Little swiftCape Verde swift vs Pacific swift
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the cape verde swift?
An adult cape verde swift weighs 23.4 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the cape verde swift endangered?
The cape verde swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
What kind of animal is the cape verde swift?
The cape verde swift (Apus alexandri) belongs to the family Apodidae in the order Apodiformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Cape Verde swift (Apus alexandri). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-verde-swift
“Cape Verde swift (Apus alexandri).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-verde-swift.
@misc{cape_verde_swift_2026,
title = {Cape Verde swift (Apus alexandri)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-verde-swift},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}