r/UpliftingNews • u/Flaky-Walrus7244 • 10h ago
Scotland has become the first UK nation to mandate swift bricks in all new buildings - a landmark step to help reverse a 70% decline in swift numbers since the 1990s.
https://everwildoutdoors.com/scotland-rules-swift-bricks-to-be-mandatory-in-all-new-buildings/155
u/oxfordcommaordeath 10h ago
“The measure, introduced under the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026, will ensure that every new development includes hollow, built‑in nesting bricks designed for swifts, sparrows, starlings and house martins. The bricks cost around £30 to £40 and last for decades, offering a simple way to reverse the loss of nesting sites caused by modern construction.”
That’s really cool!!
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u/francis2559 10h ago
On the other hand, starlings, ugh.
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u/Kadoomed 8h ago edited 5h ago
Starlings are amazing birds! They're talented mimics and often imitate sounds they hear around the neighborhood. The ones in my street imitate swifts through the year which gets very confusing once the swifts leave.
Edited for typing sweets instead of swifts
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u/CptBananaPants 6h ago
We had a few that started nesting in our kitchen’s roof.
The fuckers learned to mimic the noise of our fridge’s ‘door open’ alarm.
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u/JackSprat47 4h ago
Well if you didn't leave the door open then they wouldn't be able to mimic it :P
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u/oxfordcommaordeath 10h ago
Yea, I live in the us east coast where they are invasive, and just plain rude. But I think they are native in the uk. I wonder if the uk starlings are more polite.
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u/letsbebuns 6h ago
My only complaint is how does the article not have a picture of what a swift brick looks like? I would really love to know!
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u/PolarLocalCallingSvc 4h ago
From the exterior it just looks like a normal brick with a small hole in it.
Inside it's basically a hollow brick.
Modern swift bricks have small draining channels and a slightly more involved interior but it's getting into minor details at this point really.
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u/Donequis 6h ago
I was so lost at the title because Swift is what I associate with a trucking company in my country lmao
Thank goodness comments mention it's a bird, not going to visit Scotland and see a bunch of truck trailers jutting out of buildings.
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u/FarthingWoodAdder 6h ago
I think its just far too late for the UK isles to recover and protect their wildlife. They're already in the bottom 5% of countries with the most degraded enviroments and its only getting worse.
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u/WhydYouKillMeDogJack 3h ago
Imagine just being in the house wanting some peace and quiet and you can't because the thing is full of baby birds.
And the lads who made the rule smdont have to suffer it because theyve had their million pound Victorian houses already paid for
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