The African black swift or African swift (Apus barbatus), is a species of small swift in the Apodidae family. It breeds in Africa discontinuously from Liberia, Cameroon, Zaire, Uganda and Kenya south to South Africa. The breeding habitat is damp mountains, typically between 1,600 - 2,400 m, but less often at lower altitudes. This species feeds readily over lowland, and can form very large flocks, often with other gregarious swifts. The call is a loud double rasped hissing scream zzzzzzzZZZTT, dissimilar to that of its confusion species.