This 16–17 cm (6.3–6.7 in) long species is very similar to the common swift, and separation is only possible with good views.

It is chunkier and browner than common swift, and the slightly paler flight feathers, underparts and rump give more contrast than that species.

Pallid swifts breed on cliffs and eaves around the Mediterranean and on the Canary Islands and Madeira, laying two eggs.

Pallid swifts that breed in Gibraltar have been tracked using GPS technology, and has shown them to have multiple African wintering grounds south of the Sahara at specific times of the year.

One bird, tracked over two consecutive winters, showed remarkable fidelity to the areas visited in Africa between years.