Where to see the African Black Swift in South Africa

Hosts on Spekboom have recorded the African Black Swift at stays in or beside Cederberg Wilderness Area, Goukamma Nature Reserve, Kruger National Park, Gamkaberg Nature Reserve, Rocherpan Nature Reserve and De Hoop Nature Reserve and other reserves. A record means a host has seen it on the property or nearby, which makes these the places to base yourself; it is never a guarantee of a sighting on any given day.

The African Black Swift is most recorded in Western Cape (71% of records), KwaZulu-Natal (10% of records), Mpumalanga (6% of records), based on 273 iNaturalist observations. 74 places to stay on Spekboom in South Africa have recorded the African Black Swift on site or nearby.

The African Black Swift is recorded throughout the year, so no month is the wrong month to look for it. For the parks where hosts record it most, these are the best seasons they give. Cederberg Wilderness Area: Sep-Apr, flowers Aug-Oct; Goukamma Nature Reserve: year-round, warm Oct-Apr; Kruger National Park: Apr-Sep; Gamkaberg Nature Reserve: Autumn and spring, Mar-May, Sep-Nov. In the dry months animals concentrate at water and the grass is short.

The African black swift or African swift (Apus barbatus) is a small bird in the swift family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya south to South Africa, and on Madagascar. The breeding habitat is damp mountains, typically between 1,600 and 2,400 m, but less often at lower altitudes.