- Lifespan
- 15–20 years in the wild, with some individuals recorded living over 20 years
- Size & Weight
- 16–17 cm, wingspan 32–35 cm; 16–22 g
- Habitat
- Open skies over towns, cities, farmland and woodland edges where it hunts aerial insects while in flight.
- UK Distribution
- Summer visitor found throughout the UK from May to August; breeds across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland before migrating to sub-Saharan Africa for winter.
- Diet
- Exclusively aerial insects caught in flight, including aphids, flies, mosquitoes, gnats, small beetles and winged ants; drinks and bathes on the wing.
- Prey
- Small flying insects (aphids, dipterans, small Coleoptera, Hymenoptera)
- Predators
- Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Eurasian Kestrel, and occasionally Peregrine Falcon; eggs and chicks taken by jackdaws and magpies
- Mating Season
- May to July
- Breeding
- Clutch size 2–3 eggs; incubation 18–19 days; fledging 37–56 days; typically one brood per year
- Behaviour
- Highly aerial species that spends most of its life in flight, including sleeping, feeding and mating on the wing. Highly social, often seen in screaming parties high overhead, especially at dusk. Returns to same breeding sites and nest holes year after year.