single swift box

Swifts used to nest under the eaves of our buildings, living alongside us. Newer buildings tend to be more fully sealed however, leaving fewer places for swifts to nest. When swifts arrive in Europe each summer from Africa, they find themselves homeless due to this trend in our built environment. 

Swifts will nest happily in urban environments – they can fly long distances to find food and drink raindrops while flying. It is possible to encourage swifts to nest by playing audio of  swift calls in the proposed nesting location. Swift Conservation supplies MP3 files for this purpose.

The habi-sabi single swift box is the smallest and lightest swift box in our range. It is a flat pack single nesting aide, designed to be mounted on an external wall. The box will allow you to provide generations of swifts with a home during breeding and infancy – the only periods in their lives that they are not on their wings.

The nest box is easy to assemble and fit – it can be built in just eight minutes without any fixings, all you need is some sandpaper.

We recommend that swift boxes are mounted at least 4.5 metres above ground, ideally under eaves or in gables. Avoid placing them in exposed, cold or wet positions and ensure there is adequate shading to avoid the chicks overheating. Ladders, trees, handrails and cables which are very close to nesting places provide perches for predators like magpies and crows and can also restrict the swifts flight access. We recommend keeping the immediate area around a nesting box clear for these reasons. Swift Conservation has a useful guide on where to site nest boxes on their website.

There is no need to paint or varnish your habi-sabi box, you can wipe the box clean with a damp cloth when unoccupied. Our boxes are manufactured from Phonotherm 200 – a rigid, inert, durable and stable insulating board made from post-consumer recycled materials that would otherwise be destined for landfill. The boxes combine physical stability and optimal thermal performance. Manufacturing complies with environmental standard ISO 14001 and the boxes are free from adhesives and formaldehydes, making them safe for wildlife.

The habi-sabi single swift box is endorsed by Swift Conservation