Scotland becomes first UK country to put Swift bricks into law - RSPB

Thanks to your support, Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill includes a key measure to help save Swifts.

Thanks to thousands of RSPB campaigners, supporters and nature lovers who contacted their MSPs, Swifts in Scotland are now a major step closer to having more of the safe nesting sites they desperately need.

Scotland made history yesterday (29 January 2026) by becoming the first UK country to introduce a legal requirement that should see nesting bricks for Swifts included in new buildings.

A lifeline for a threatened species

This is an incredibly important step which will help reverse the decline of one of our most threatened species.

The distinctive ‘screaming’ calls of Swifts are a sure sign that summer has arrived, but numbers of this iconic migrant bird have plummeted in recent years – nearly two out of every three Swifts in the UK have been lost since the mid-1990s.

There are many reasons for the declines including reduced availability of insects to eat, loss of nest sites and climate change. But there’s also plenty of evidence that when we provide nest sites for them in buildings, these are regularly occupied and allow Swifts to breed successfully.

Ensuring Swift bricks are included in new buildings is a simple, cheap and effective measure that will help save this beautiful and remarkable creature.

What about the rest of the UK?

Attempts to introduce a legal requirement for Swift bricks in new buildings in the rest of the UK, have so far failed or barely begun.

In England, there was a recent opportunity via an amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, but the House of Lords voted against the measure. In Wales, following a successful petition, the proposal was debated in the Senedd, but was rejected despite the urgency and cross-party support. In Northern Ireland there is cross-party interest and we are investigating the potential for legislation.