As early as 2011, Ficedula, in collaboration with the Office for Nature and Landscape and the Office for Hunting and Fishing, conducted the first cantonal inventory of swift colonies. The three species that nest in Ticino—the Common Swift, the Pallid Swift, and the Greater Swift—are conservation priorities and require targeted measures for their protection.

Swifts are migratory birds that live in synanthropic conditions; that is, they have evolved to adapt well to living in urban centers—in towers, bell towers, and houses—where they find suitable cavities for their nests. Over the centuries, they have come to prefer these new habitats over rocky cliffs, their original natural nesting sites.

Swifts are very loyal to their nesting sites, and the main threat to them stems from building renovations. The cantonal inventory is therefore an indispensable tool for safeguarding these species, protecting them during the breeding season and preserving their nesting sites.

In the spring of 2022, Ficedula launched a citizen science project—research conducted in collaboration with the public—that focuses on the bell towers and historic monuments of Ticino.

We’d like to know if swifts fly around the bell tower(s) in the towns where you live during the summer evenings. If you’re not sure, please send us a short audio recording of their calls!
Negative observations are also very important. Please let us know even if there are no swifts.