Sky Marathoners
Swifts eat, drink, collect nesting material, and even sleep while in flight. They rarely land, doing so mainly during the breeding season, when they need to incubate their eggs and feed their chicks. Urban architecture closely resembles their natural habitat. Before humans began constructing tall buildings, swifts nested in rock crevices and on high cliffs in mountainous regions. For these birds, apartment blocks and skyscrapers effectively serve as artificial cliffs.
Mosquito Hunters
These birds are natural allies in the fight against nuisance insects. Swifts feed exclusively on what is known as aerial plankton - small insects and spiders carried by air currents. During the breeding season, a single pair of swifts can catch up to 20,000 insects a day while feeding their young.
Protected Birds
In Poland, swifts are protected under strict species conservation regulations. To support these birds, the City of Poznań has established Bird Protection Standards that specify how and where nest boxes should be installed and how swift populations can be supported. This is particularly important during building renovation and thermal retrofitting projects. The standards apply not only to private developers and investors but also to all municipal construction and renovation projects. The document can be found, among other places, in the footer of this article.
The Secret Life of Swifts
Several online cameras have been installed on the building of the Municipal Geodesy and Cadastre Board (GEOPOZ) at 20 Gronowa Street. Thanks to these cameras, anyone can observe the daily lives of Poznań's swifts from home. Viewers can watch the birds incubating eggs, feeding their young, and preparing them for their first flight. Live footage from inside the nest boxes is available on the "Swifts Online" page on the Poznań environmental portal.
