Home / Environment / Swift Nest Boxes Soar: A Breeding Success Story
Swift Nest Boxes Soar: A Breeding Success Story
2 Apr
Summary
- Nest box usage by swifts in Suffolk shows a significant yearly increase.
- Over 500 nest boxes recorded swift activity in Suffolk last year.
- Project efforts demonstrate successful creation of new swift colonies.
The number of nest boxes being utilized by swifts in Suffolk has seen a substantial year-on-year increase. Data from 2025 reveals a significant rise in nest box installations, with 504 boxes used across 138 locations. This is up from 379 boxes at 85 locations in 2024 and 263 boxes at 79 locations in 2023.
These nest boxes are situated in various elevated locations throughout Suffolk, including homes, schools, and churches. The project has successfully encouraged the breeding of these red-listed birds, demonstrating that targeted efforts can reverse population declines. Swift activity has been recorded in over 500 boxes county-wide, a remarkable increase from just one or two in 2011.
Experts confirm that these initiatives are effectively creating new swift colonies and expanding established ones. This approach has provided much-needed breeding sites for swifts, which migrate from Africa each spring to nest. The species has faced a population decline of over 50% in the UK between 1995 and 2016.
