Greetings from Jerusalem, whose holy sites host some of the oldest colonies of nesting swifts
Common swifts have nested in Jerusalem's holy sites for millennia, but their populations are declining due to modern urban development and conflict. The author highlights the importance of simple conservation efforts to protect these birds.
Why it matters
The decline of urban-nesting birds serves as an indicator of how modern architecture and geopolitical conflict impact local biodiversity.
Ruth Sherlock/NPR This spring, I was in Jerusalem reporting a story on the common swift. These scythe-winged birds have nested in the cracks of the Western Wall and other holy sites here for thousands of years.
The faithful have adapted to the swifts' presence, prayers mixing with the bird calls. And the swifts have adapted to live with humans, raising their young in the nooks and crannies of buildings and other structures.
Every year, they migrate thousands of miles to return to the same city, town or village, where they reunite with their lifelong mates to nest. At the Western Wall, there were dozens of nests this year.
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