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17 October 2026

Imagine spending most of a year without sitting on a branch, resting on a fence or landing on the ground. For the common swift, this is close to ordinary life.

Scientists tracking these small, fast-flying birds found that during their non-breeding period, they remained airborne for more than 99 per cent of the time across roughly ten months. Some tracked birds never settled during that period.

The common swift is built for life in the air. It catches insects while flying and gathers much of its nesting material on the wing. Its long, curved wings allow it to glide and manoeuvre efficiently, helping it travel vast distances between its breeding grounds in Europe and its wintering areas in Africa.

There is one important exception: when adults are raising chicks, they return to their nests. But outside the breeding season, the sky becomes their principal home.

Scientists are still interested in how swifts manage the demands of such prolonged flight, including how they rest while airborne. Their lives challenge our familiar idea that every animal must regularly settle somewhere to sleep.

We often think of home as a fixed place with a roof and a door. For a common swift, home is more complicated. For much of the year, it is the open sky—and the ability to keep moving through it.

Rajat Chandra Sarmah, Guwahati, Assam, India, Instagram @rajatchandrasarmah, YouTube: conversewithasmile, email rajatchandrasarmah@gmail.com