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Where do true swifts live around the world?

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Illustration of a chestnut-collared swift (Cypseloides rutilus) in flight, showing its dark brown body and wings with a distinctive reddish-brown collar around its neck. — Apodiform Chestnut-collared swift (*Cypseloides rutilus*)

True swifts, which belong to the family Apodidae, have a nearly worldwide distribution. They are found across most of the globe, with the notable exception of polar regions, New Zealand, most of Australia, and southern parts of Chile and Argentina.1

These birds inhabit a wide variety of environments, ranging from temperate regions of the Old World to tropical areas in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Depending on the species, they may nest in diverse locations such as caves, hollow trees, rock crevices, or man-made structures like chimneys and buildings. While some species are resident in specific tropical areas, others are long-distance migrants that travel between breeding grounds in the Northern Hemisphere and wintering grounds in the Southern Hemisphere.12