Save our swifts

New studies show that the number of swifts flying to our shores this summer will be the lowest since records began – and the lack of homes for these summer visitors is a huge reason for this decline.

Every summer, Swifts travel thousands of miles to Britain. Since the Roman era they’ve found homes in nooks and crannies of British buildings. But the design of new buildings means these homes are rapidly disappearing – and so are the Swifts. In the past 20 years, the number of swifts has halved.

But there’s a simple and easy solution. By adding special “Swift bricks” into new build houses, we can make sure Swifts have somewhere to nest. Germany and Poland have already changed the law to make sure every new house has one of these bird nest bricks – there’s no reason we couldn’t do the same.

So 38 Degrees member and bird-lover Norman has set up a petition calling on the minister for housing to make sure Swift bricks are fitted in new homes across Britain. But the minister will only listen if he knows the public are behind Norman.

Sign the petition and show the minister the public want Swift bricks on every new home.

“It is brilliant to see people like Norman taking the initiative to fight for the future of Swifts. We are very worried because these beautiful and awe-inspiring birds are in severe decline. It’s heartening to see more and more people calling for measures to help them thrive in the UK. Thank you Norman and everyone who supports this campaign.” –
Guy Anderson, The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)