How swifts survive a wet British June

Long-distance flights enable aerial hunters to feed their young whatever the weather

For Britain's breeding birds - especially those migrants that spend only a short time here before heading back to their winter home in Africa - June is a crucial month.

Plentiful sunshine - June is usually the sunniest month of the year in England and Wales, thanks to the long hours of daylight - provide the vast amounts of insects and invertebrates that these birds require to feed their young.