Securing the future for swifts in Waltham Forest

Swifts are quickly becoming an endangered species in the UK, due to a decline in habitats and insect populations. One council in east London is stepping up efforts to give these iconic birds a helping hand. 

We are today (10 July 2025) pressing on with ambitious plans to create and enhance nesting opportunities for swifts to ensure that this iconic, yet rapidly decreasing bird has a bright future in our borough.

Swifts are summer visitors to the UK rely on holes and cavities in buildings to nest in and rear their young. The national population has plummeted by more than 66 percent between 1995 and 2022 and a huge factor in this shocking collapse is much-reduced availability of nesting space in newer buildings. 

That’s where swift bricks come in. They are built discreetly into a wall of a new building and once installed require no maintenance over the entire lifetime of the structure. They offer a safe environment for birds to nest, create no mess or debris, are compatible with modern developments and are of negligible cost to developers. 

Swifts are not the only bird to benefit either. House sparrows, starlings, and house martins, species which are all in steep decline, can benefit from swift bricks too.  

Cllr Clyde Loakes MBE, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Climate and Air Quality said: “For many people, the screeching call of swifts in the skies over our streets and parks is the soundtrack to summer. But unless we act now and act decisively, we risk losing these wonderful birds forever. 

“That is why we are strengthening our planning framework to ensure that swift bricks will be included in new developments, which in the long-term will create vital nesting spaces and give us a chance of creating a stronghold for swifts in Waltham Forest.  

“Swift bricks come at almost zero extra cost and are backed by conservationists and developers alike. They are an easy, proven and uncontroversial way of addressing the staggering loss in populations of not just swifts but other birds of the highest conservation concern. This at a time when balancing the need to save our most vulnerable species with delivering vital new housing and regeneration for people can be difficult. 

“We have a strong track record of implementing policies that protect nature, improve air quality, and reduce the risk from extreme weather events. But we must do much, much more. We will work alongside residents and local organisations to deliver our emerging nature recovery plan and tackle the incredibly worrying loss of biodiversity seen on a national level.” 

We are set to strengthen the existing framework in its adopted Local Plan through its forthcoming Nature Recovery Plan and Green and Blue Spaces Supplementary Planning Document to encourage the practical adoption of swift boxes, as well as other measures that allow species to nest, roost or hibernate, within future developments within the borough. 

• Swifts winter in sub-Saharan Africa and migrate 7,000 miles every year to nest in the UK.
• They are only with us for a few months every year, arriving in our skies in around May, and leaving again during August.
• They have curved wings and a forked tail. They are dark, sooty brown but can look black against the sky.
• They can be seen in most habitats in summer, including parks, wetlands and urban neighbourhoods. Sometimes just looking up when you are walking down your street is a good way to spot them
• They have a familiar ‘screeching’ call that you often hear before you see them.
• They are superb, acrobatic flyers and spend almost their whole lives on in flight, Sleeping, eating, bathing and even mating on the wing.
• Swifts eat small airborne insects and invertebrates.
• They are the fastest birds in level flight, boasting a top speed of almost 70 miles an per hour.
• A swift can fly around two million miles in its life, the same as four trips to the moon and back.
• They belong to a family of birds known as Hirundines, which also include swallows and martins, sadly all in threatened.  

Find out more about the council’s ambitious nature recovery programme.