CreatureData

White-rumped swift

Apus caffer (M. H. K. Lichtenstein, 1823)

LCLeast Concernbirds

The white-rumped swift (Apus caffer) is a species in the family Apodidae, order Apodiformes. Recorded adults weigh 22 g to 22.1 g and live up to 10 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

White-rumped swift (Apus caffer)
Photo: Derek Keats from Johannesburg, South Africa · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the white-rumped swift

Weight
22.1 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
21.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1.7 – 2src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
23.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
3src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Aerialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Migratorysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the white-rumped swift

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

White-rumped swift (Apus caffer)
en:User:Waxbill · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the white-rumped swift live?

Not recorded

What is the white-rumped swift?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The white-rumped swift (Apus caffer) is a species of swift. Although this small bird is superficially similar to a house martin, it is not closely related to that passerine species. The resemblances between the swallows and swifts are due to convergent evolution reflecting similar life styles.

From the Wikipedia article “White-rumped swift” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=White-rumped_swift&oldid=1322270580), 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 white-rumped swift endangered?

The white-rumped swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. 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 white-rumped swift classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderApodiformes
  5. familyApodidae
  6. genusApus
  7. SpeciesApus caffer (M. H. K. Lichtenstein, 1823)

Synonyms Apus caffer ansorgei, Apus caffer caffer, Apus caffer streubelii, Caffrapus caffer, Cypselus caffer, Cypselus caffer, Cypselus pygargus, Cypselus streubelii, Micropus caffer ansorgei

Other names and names in other languages (44)
  • African white-rumped swiftEnglish
  • WitkruiswindswaelAfrikaans
  • Witkruis-windswaelAfrikaans
  • سمامة بيضاء الزمكArabic
  • Glaouer kafirBreton
  • Falciot cuablanc africàCatalan
  • rorýs bělokostřecovýCzech
  • coblyn tinwyn AffricaWelsh
  • KaffersejlerDanish
  • WeißbürzelseglerGerman
  • KaffernseglerGerman
  • Kafra apusoEsperanto
  • Vencejo cafreSpanish
  • sirppiiritajaEstonian
  • sirppiiritaja e. sirp-piirpääsukeEstonian
  • häätökiitäjäFinnish
  • kafferikiitäjäFinnish
  • Martinet caffreFrench
  • Martinet à croupion blancFrench
  • Martinet cafreFrench
  • Martinet de CafrerieFrench
  • Gabhlán gaoithe bánphrompachIrish
  • oštrorepa čiopaCroatian
  • kaffer sarlósfecskeHungarian
  • LjásvölungurIcelandic
  • Rondone cafroItalian
  • アフリカコシジロアマツバメJapanese
  • Baltasturplis čiurlysLithuanian
  • HvitgumpseilerNorwegian Bokmål
  • KaffergierzwaluwDutch
  • PijlstaartgierzwaluwDutch
  • jerzyk widłosternyPolish
  • andorinhão-de-uropígio-brancoPortuguese
  • Andorinhão-cafrePortuguese
  • Белогузый стрижRussian
  • Кафрский стрижRussian
  • KáfferleahttospálfuNorthern Sami
  • dážďovník lastovičíSlovak
  • gibraltarski hudournikSlovenian
  • kafferseglareSwedish
  • vitgumpseglareSwedish
  • นกแอ่นไวต์รัมป์Thai
  • серпокрилець білогузийUkrainian
  • 非洲叉尾雨燕Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the white-rumped swift

Other species in the same genus Apus.

CompareWhite-rumped swift vs Common swiftWhite-rumped swift vs Pallid swiftWhite-rumped swift vs Little swiftWhite-rumped swift vs Pacific swift

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the white-rumped swift?

An adult white-rumped swift weighs 22.1 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the white-rumped swift endangered?

The white-rumped swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the white-rumped swift live?

The white-rumped swift has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

What kind of animal is the white-rumped swift?

The white-rumped swift (Apus caffer) 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.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). White-rumped swift (Apus caffer). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-rumped-swift

MLA

“White-rumped swift (Apus caffer).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-rumped-swift.

BibTeX
@misc{white_rumped_swift_2026,
  title = {White-rumped swift (Apus caffer)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/white-rumped-swift},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}