In many places, there is a lack of suitable nesting places for the swift. In general, it has difficulty in finding out new kinds of breeding grounds, and because of that in most cases the nesting boxes haven't been discovered yet by it. In contrast to the swallow, the swift has a completely dark plumage except for one bright spot on its throat. It is also larger, averaging 17 cm from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail and with a wingspan of approximately 40 cm. It catches its food entirely on the wing by feeding on insects and small spiders which have been carried by the wind and thermal currents, often to a considerable height.
Swifts prefer to breed, if possible, in colonies of sometimes several dozen couples.
Continual rain can cause problems for these animals by preventing them from finding enough food. At such times it has been known for the adult birds to move to another region with better weather conditions, sometimes hundreds of miles away from the breeding ground. The older nestlings can survive for about two weeks under these difficult conditions. So for a long time conservationists have tried to help swifts by putting up nest boxes. Unfortunately, in most cases nest boxes are not found by the birds, even where they have been put up expertly.