Swifts are small, fast-flying birds that are found worldwide. They are part of the Apodidae family, which also includes hummingbirds. Swifts got their name from their incredibly swift and agile flight patterns, and they are one of the fastest flying birds in the world.
One question that often comes up about swifts is whether they eat mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are a huge nuisance to humans, and anything that helps control their populations is seen as beneficial. So do swifts swoop around eating mosquitoes and keeping them under control?
Do swifts eat insects?
Swifts are insectivorous birds, meaning insects make up the majority of their diet. They eat a wide variety of insects including flies, midges, mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, winged ants, beetles, moths, butterflies, and more. Swifts catch all their food while in flight, as they rarely stop flying long enough to land.
Swifts have several adaptations that help them catch insects in mid-air:
- Large mouths that allow them to scoop up insects.
- Short, strong bills to grab insects.
- Wide gapes that let them catch prey at high speeds.
- Long, curved wings for agile flight maneuvers.
- Swift reflexes and excellent vision to spot prey.
So while swifts are not insect specialists, and eat a varied insect diet, they certainly do consume their fair share of bugs. This includes mosquitoes if they come across them during their aerial feeding.
Do swifts specifically target mosquitoes?
While swifts do eat mosquitoes, they do not specifically target them as prey. Mosquitoes make up a very small portion of a swift’s diet. Swifts are aerial opportunists and will eat whatever insect prey they happen to come across during flight.
Studies examining swift’s stomach contents have found that mosquitoes make up less than 1% of their total insect prey. The majority of their diet consists of larger insects like flies, beetles, moths, mayflies, and winged ants. These larger insects provide more nutritional value than tiny mosquitoes.
Swifts may ignore mosquitoes due to their small size. Catching such tiny insects takes more energy than it’s worth. Larger insects are easier for swifts to detect in flight and provide more calories per capture. So swifts do not hunt mosquitoes specifically, though they may occasionally eat any mosquitoes that happen into their path.
Do swifts help control mosquito populations?
While swifts do not target mosquitoes as prey, they may still help control mosquito populations to some degree. By eating insects in general, swifts reduce overall insect numbers, including mosquitoes. And any mosquitoes they do happen to eat are removed from the population.
However, swifts are unlikely to significantly reduce mosquito numbers or prevent mosquito-borne diseases. Mosquito populations are strongly driven by availability of breeding sites and climatic factors. Predation by swifts likely has minimal impact compared to these factors.
In addition, swifts are migratory birds and are only seasonally present in many parts of their range. So they cannot provide year-round mosquito control. Other insectivorous birds that are present year-round likely have more effect on mosquito numbers.
So while swifts may eat some mosquitoes, they do not specifically target them. Swifts likely provide minimal mosquito control compared to other ecological and environmental factors.
Do swifts prefer other insects over mosquitoes?
Yes, swifts do prefer eating other types of insects rather than mosquitoes. As mentioned, studies of swift diets have shown they eat very few mosquitoes compared to other insects. Several reasons explain this preference:
- Larger prey size – Larger insects like flies and beetles are easier to detect and capture than tiny mosquitoes.
- Higher calorie content – Larger insects provide more calories per capture, making them more worthwhile prey.
- Easier handling – The small size and lack of hard body parts in mosquitoes makes them more difficult to grasp and swallow in flight.
- Lower abundance – Mosquitoes occur in lower densities than many other aerial insects.
Swifts pursue prey that balances energy content with ease of capture. So while mosquitoes may occasionally be eaten, swifts strongly favor larger, more nutritious insects that are easier to catch on the wing.
What do swifts mainly eat?
The main components of a swift’s diet are larger flying insects like the following:
- Flies – Especially crane flies and horse flies. Flies occur in high numbers and provide lots of calories.
- Mayflies – Abundant near water in the spring and summer. Easy prey for swifts.
- Winged ants – Readily available and nutritious. Swifts gorge on ants during mating flights.
- Beetles – Plentiful and provide lots of energy due to their size and hard shell.
- Moths – Nocturnal insects that swifts pick off at dawn and dusk.
- Caddisflies – Associated with water. Swifts feed in wetlands to find these.
In terms of volume, flies likely make up the highest proportion of a swift’s annual diet. But they will opportunistically feed on any larger aerial insects based on seasonal and local availability.
How do swifts catch insects?
Swifts have several key adaptations that allow them to adeptly catch insects while in flight:
- Speed – Swifts can fly extremely fast, up to 69 mph when diving. This allows them to overtake flying insects.
- Maneuverability – Their short, curved wings provide excellent aerial agility and precision control.
- Wide mouth and gape – They can open their mouths very wide to scoop up insects mid-flight.
- Short, robust beak – Allows them to securely grab and swallow insects at high speeds.
- Keen eyesight – They have excellent vision adapted for spotting small, fast-moving prey.
Swifts also use their feet and tail feathers to help capture prey. By spreading their tails, they can steer and maneuver acrobatically to chase down elusive insects.
When do swifts feed on insects?
Swifts are most active feeding on aerial insects during the daytime. However, they may also forage at dusk and dawn. Peak feeding times include:
- Early morning – Takes advantage of insects that have emerged overnight.
- Mid-morning – Many insects become active as temperatures warm.
- Late afternoon – Feeds before evening insect activity declines.
- Dusk – Captures nocturnal insects like moths.
Swifts tend to rest and be less active at midday when insect numbers decline. They may also continue foraging into the night if there is sufficient light from the moon or artificial lighting to see insects.
How many insects do swifts eat per day?
Swifts eat a tremendous number of insects each day to fuel their high-energy lifestyle. A typical swift may consume:
- 12,000 – 20,000 insects per day
- Up to 1/3 of their body weight in insects daily
- Over 200,000 insects during a 3 month nesting period
However, exact numbers vary based on the size of insects eaten, time of year, number of young to feed, and individual swift metabolism and activity levels.
Do baby swifts eat mosquitoes?
Like adult swifts, newly hatched swift nestlings are also insectivorous and rely on their parents to provide them with insects. Adult swifts collect insects to bring back to the nest to feed their young.
Baby swifts likely eat very few mosquitoes for similar reasons as adults. The tiny size and low calorie content make mosquitoes less worthwhile prey. Parents focus on catching more plentiful and nutritious insects like flies, mayflies, winged ants, beetles, and moths to rapidly feed their growing chicks.
When feeding young, adult swifts tend to provide larger prey items that can easily be broken into bites and are efficient to provision multiple chicks. Mosquitoes and other small insects are not ideal for this purpose.
So while baby swifts eat plenty of insects brought by their parents, mosquitoes make up only a tiny fraction of their diet compared to larger and more common insects.
Do other birds eat mosquitoes?
While swifts do not typically target mosquitoes, some other insect-eating birds do intentionally hunt them. Birds that are known to eat substantial numbers of mosquitoes include:
- Purple martins – These swallows actively hunt mosquitoes and other small flying insects.
- Chimney swifts – Closely related to swifts, they also eat some mosquitoes.
- Flycatchers – Such as the eastern kingbird and western kingbird.
- Nighthawks – Feed on mosquitoes at dusk and night.
- Warblers – Small songbirds that eat mosquitoes among other insects.
While no bird subsists solely on mosquitoes, some do actively hunt them and can impact mosquito populations in an area by predation.
How to attract mosquito-eating birds
To naturally help reduce mosquitoes, you can try attracting birds that actively prey on them to your yard. Methods include:
- Put up nest boxes suited for insect-eating birds like purple martins.
- Provide sources of water for swallows and flycatchers.
- Plant native flowers that attract insects birds prey upon.
- Avoid or limit insecticide use which reduces birds’ food supply.
- Keep dead trees standing, as they provide nesting sites.
- Install a chimney swift tower to provide nesting habitat.
By making your yard attractive to mosquito-eating birds, you can get free help controlling mosquito populations through natural predation.
Conclusion
While swifts are impressive aerial insectivores, they do not specifically target mosquitoes as prey. Mosquitoes make up a very small portion of a swift’s diet compared to larger and more nutritious insects like flies, beetles, and ants. Swifts may opportunistically eat mosquitoes encountered in flight, but they do not hunt them intentionally.
Other birds, like purple martins, chimney swifts, and flycatchers, are more likely to actively prey on mosquitoes. Attracting these species to your yard can provide natural mosquito control through predation. Though no single bird species relies on mosquitoes as their primary food source.
So while swifts are amazing to watch as they speed through the sky feeding, they are more interested in larger insects than tiny mosquitoes. Their natural aerial insect control provides general benefits, but is unlikely to significantly reduce mosquito populations specifically.