A new law means Scottish builders are now obliged to incorporate cosy homes for endangered cavity-nesting birds into all new homes.
Specifically, the country’s parliament voted to make ‘swift bricks’ – hollow bricks that provide a sheltered nest space for swifts and other similar migratory birds – mandatory for all new dwellings.
Swift bricks are cheap, require little to no maintenance and can be installed on a wide range of building facades.
The legislation is a response to the dramatic decline in the UK’s swift population over the last few decades: The British Trust for Ornithology estimates that numbers have declined by 68% between 1995 and 2023 and they are now listed by the UK government as ‘bird of conservation concern’.
Other UK countries have so far declined to make swift bricks a legal requirement, with the UK opting only to introduce them into planning guidance last year rather than enforce their use.
The UK is a crucial breeding ground for swifts, which travel more than 3,000 miles from South Africa every spring. They can sleep, eat, clean themselves and even mate while flying but need safe & secure nesting spots to raise their chicks.
“This iconic species was once a very common sight across Scotland, particularly in urban areas, but they are under threat, declining by 60% since 1995, which has led to them being on the red list of birds of conservation concern,” said Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy.
I welcome suggestions of practical ways to help protect this important species and improve biodiversity.”
Natural nesting spots in the UK’s built environment – such as under roof eaves or under tiles – are now few and far between due to their absence in contemporary building design and government subsidised drives to improve insulation in aging housing stock.
While these modernizations are key to ensuring homes are more energy-efficient, activists like Hannah Bourne-Taylor argue that more should have been done to mitigate the effect on swifts.
“Scotland has stood united for birds,” said Bourne-Taylor, arguing that Holyrood’s action is proof that Westminster can do more than “offer toothless guidance” to developers in England.
The new legislation will come into force in Scotland upon the conclusion of a 12-month consultation period.
