Swifts: Apodidae

The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists several species as threatened. The Guam swiftlet is Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction, dying out. The bird population dropped by 80 percent after birds were killed by pesticides, chemicals that were sprayed to eliminate insects. Their populations have also declined due to being preyed on by the brown tree snake, a species introduced to Guam from ships by accident. The birds, being unable to take flight quickly from the ground, were vulnerable to this ground-dwelling snake.

IUCN ranks some swift species as Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction. Low populations make the dark-rumped swift, Aitu swiftlet, and the Polynesian swiftlet Vulnerable. Loss of habitat as trees are cut down makes the Congo swift Vulnerable. The Seychelles swiftlet is Vulnerable because birds nest at only three locations.