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Project of the Month

30 years of helping Swifts in distress!

For three decades, the veterinary surgeon Dr Christiane Haupt has been working with great dedication to save the lives of injured and helpless Common and Alpine Swifts. Together with a small group of dedicated volunteers, the Frankfurt Swift Clinic has now saved the lives of almost 21,000 Swifts.

Swifts are among the most fascinating migratory bird species in Europe. As building-nesting birds and non-stop flyers, they spend most of their lives in the air. Yet it is precisely this highly specialised way of life that makes them particularly vulnerable in our modern, technology-driven environment.

Swifts have been back from their wintering grounds in Africa since the end of April. However, suitable nesting sites are becoming increasingly scarce. Building renovations and loft conversions usually destroy breeding sites without providing any alternative. Reflective glass façades pose a deadly hazard, and young birds nesting in cavities beneath heated roofs are increasingly facing life-threatening situations.

Added to this is the dramatic decline in flying insects. Many Swifts now lack sufficient food to raise their young or build up adequate energy reserves. The consequences are evident every day at the Swift Clinic: more and more Swifts brought in are weak, malnourished, dehydrated or injured.

Many of the birds in our care require months of intensive treatment before they are fully able to fly again. This poses enormous challenges for the clinic, particularly in winter. Swifts that have been nursed back to health, mostly long-term residents, cannot be released here due to a lack of insects and, therefore, often become stressed in their care boxes. It is only thanks to dedicated supporters that Dr Christiane Haupt can transport nursed-back-to-health Swifts to the Canary Islands and release them there into a warm, insect-rich sky.

The Foundation Pro Biodiversity has been providing vital support to the Swift Clinic for 23 years in its important rescue work. In recognition of her decades of dedication, Christiane Haupt was awarded the German Animal Welfare Prize in Berlin in November 2025.

The clinic is currently treating around 160 Swifts. We expect a further 700 patients by the autumn.

We are currently still short of some 21,500 euros to cover the costs of providing appropriate care and veterinary treatment for Swifts.

Please help us by making a donation.

With a donation of 20, 30 or 50 euros – or any other amount – you can support the emergency care provided by the Frankfurt Swift Clinic and give injured swifts a new lease of life.

Thank you kindly for your support!