BirdWatch Ireland is undertaking surveys to locate nesting swifts across Fingal, south Co. Galway and west Co. Cavan this summer, a bird that is now considered endangered in Ireland.

According to the wildlife charity, swifts spending most of their lives in the air and "sleep, eat, mate, and drink on the wing".

"As the time approaches for the chicks to leave the nest (when they're about six weeks old) they begin doing push-ups on their wings, preparing for their first flights.

But Birdwatch Ireland has reported that the swift is undergoing massive declines in Ireland and across much of Europe.

In the Republic of Ireland, 69% of the breeding population was lost between 1998 and 2023, according to the Countryside Bird Survey, operated by BirdWatch Ireland on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

The charity highlighted that the swift is now on Ireland’s endangered list - the Birds of Conservation Concern Red List - alongside other iconic species such as the curlew, corncrake and kestrel.

Urban birds project officer with BirdWatch Ireland, Tara Adcock said: "The reasons for their decline are multi-faceted, but one of the main driving forces behind their decline appears to be a lack of nesting space".

Swifts are an urban species, nesting in buildings in towns, villages and cities. Renovations to buildings can result in these nest sites being lost.

According to Birdwatch Ireland, swifts are "highly site-faithful birds", meaning they return to the same nest year after year to breed. If the nest site is lost due to renovations, they can find it difficult to find alternative nesting space.

In the last few decades, new-builds have been built to a higher standard, meaning there are no gaps for cavity nesting species such as swifts to nest in, the charity said.

Swifts are losing their existing nest sites due to renovations and demolition, with very little alternative nesting space coming on to the market.

However, Birdwatch Ireland said that by incorporating nest boxes and nest bricks, nesting locations for swifts can be built into our urban landscapes.

Nest boxes are fixed externally, while nest bricks are built into the fabric of the wall and are suitable for new builds or renovations.

According to the wildlife conservation charity, swifts are "a clean and quiet species. They do not leave a mess, and they will not wake you up in the morning".

"As such, they are the perfect species for which to install nest boxes/bricks on your own home or a public building," it said.