26. Little Swift Swifts pose serious identification problems. They’re small, swift and difficult to keep sight of with binoculars or cameras. Even if you get a photo, you might still struggle to identify precisely what kind of swift it is. They are very similar-looking: a stoutish body with a sharpened tail, sometimes forked or divided into two, and narrow-pointed wings in a clean curve like a scythe or a scimitar. The colour is uniform dark grey: some have white patches. The Little Swift is most obliging in this regard: the white rump (lower back just above the beginning of the tail) and white throat are shared by only two other species around here: the House Swift and the White-Rumped Swift. But it can be distinguished from both by size and the square rather than forked or pointed tail. They are also jolly noisy in large groups, twittering loudly as they zing across the sky. Swifts do have legs and feet, of course, though you don’t see them much, tucked away out of sight. They’re not much good for walking, but spending so much time in the air, they don’t need to do much of that. They are dazzlingly good fliers, though. Birds of AFRICAMA House 56 Birds of AFRICAMA House 57