Common Swift Conservation Project

By installing nesting boxes, the Aquarium-Muséum in Liège is helping to provide new habitats for the common swift and is supporting Natagora’s efforts to protect this endangered species.

An iconic bird… but in trouble

The common swift (Apus apus) is an iconic bird of our cities, recognizable by its sickle-shaped silhouette and its rapid, acrobatic flight. It spends most of its life in flight: it feeds, sleeps, and mates in the air. To reproduce, however, it depends on cavities located high up in buildings.

Today, the species is in decline across Europe. Building renovations and insulation are gradually eliminating the openings that served as nesting sites, making reproduction increasingly difficult in cities. The common swift therefore needs help to continue nesting in our urban environments.

A Project to Support Urban Biodiversity

In this context, the team at the Aquarium-Muséum de Liège, with the support of the University of Liège, launched a project in October 2024 to promote urban biodiversity: the installation of nesting boxes for swifts on the building currently under renovation.

The idea arose following a lecture by Martine Wauters (Coordinator of Natagora’s Swift Working Group) dedicated to these iconic birds of our cities. Strictly aerial, swifts cannot take off from the ground and depend entirely on elevated structures for nesting. The height of the University of Liège building that houses the Aquarium makes it a particularly suitable site for their nesting.

Several steps were necessary before installing the nesting boxes. Our team first had to obtain the required permits from the University of Liège. An analysis was then conducted to identify locations compatible with the swifts’ needs and technical constraints: heritage considerations, accessibility, etc.

Nesting boxes to encourage their settlement

The nesting boxes were finally installed at the rear of the building, under a wide cornice, to ensure suitable shaded conditions. Seven double nesting boxes and one nesting box equipped with a camera were installed.

The live video feed will allow observers to watch the swifts’ lives without disturbing them. This system serves both as a scientific tool for monitoring occupancy and reproduction, and as a powerful awareness-raising tool, bringing the public closer to a discreet and endangered species that usually nests out of sight.

A system broadcasting swift calls will complement the setup to encourage their colonization.

A Commitment to Biodiversity in Liège

Today, the project is coming to a close. This initiative will help offset the loss of nesting sites for this declining species and strengthen biodiversity in the heart of the city of Liège, in line with the mission of the Aquarium-Muséum de Liège.

More info on the Natagora working group

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