Giovanni was brought from Schotten to the clinic on April 27th. He was found sitting on the ground the day before, but not taken care of, as the finders expected him to fly away if given enough time.

Although having no physical injuries, he suffers from a severe concussion, most likely due to a failed landing manoeuvre at the nesting site.

At this place, we would like to remind you that a swift will NEVER be sitting on the ground for no reason! A swift found under such conditions is always injured or unable to fly for any other reason.

Alternatively -and relevant from the end of May onwards- it may be a juvenile swift, whose feathers are still growing and who is therefore not to fly yet.

Whatever may be the case: If you find a swift on the ground, NEVER throw it into the air (although some "experts" or outdated books might tell you to do so). Instead, pick the bird up carefully and put it in a plastic or cardboard box that you cushioned with paper towels and covered partially (some 50%). Call your local animal welfare or any similar institution that takes care of wild birds -if available. (Make sure, these people actually know how to care for a swift, because many "general" institutions are unaware of the special needs of swifts! You might for instance obtain information on how to feed a swift from our website. People answering anything else but "insects" are definitely incompetent!)

If no such institution is available in your area or country, you may call our Swift Clinic in Frankfurt, Germany, +49 69 35 35 15 04. Please do NOT send e-mails in such a case, because we cannot guarantee an early reply, especially during the peak season!

The English translation of our website www.mauersegler.com is still work-in-progress, but most emergeny-relevant information is already available in English.