This spring, NPR’s Ruth Sherlock reported from Jerusalem on the common swift, a bird species that has nested in the cracks of the Western Wall and other holy sites for thousands of years. These birds have adapted to urban life, returning annually to the same locations to reunite with their mates and raise their young. However, their numbers are declining due to modern building techniques that leave them without nesting sites, and disruptions like Iranian missile strikes in Israel. Simple solutions, such as providing wooden boxes or hollow bricks, can help. The swifts’ unique behavior, including their “screaming parties” to encourage fledglings to fly, highlights their adaptability and the joy they bring to those who observe them.
QUESTION: How might the decline of common swifts impact the cultural and natural heritage of places like Jerusalem?
Greetings from Jerusalem, whose holy sites host some of the oldest colonies of nesting swifts
