An activist marched through London virtually naked and painted as a bird in a bid to raise awareness of declining numbers of her feathered friends.
Hannah Bourne-Taylor, 36, made a speech on the dwindling swift population at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park wearing dark blue, black and white body paint.
Afterwards she and a group of protesters marched on Downing Street where she read out a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to launch a campaign to save the birds.
Hannah read: “I was willing to use my voice for these irreplaceable birds by launching this campaign, unclothed, painted neck to toe because passion is a superpower and every bird counts.
“Behind the theatre of this campaign, there is a serious issue of development calling biodiversity loss.
“And these cavity-nesting feathered neighbours are not included biodiversity net gain measures despite all of them facing national distinction because of us.”
“They are running out of time.”
Earlier she had said: “I stand here today as a go-between for swifts to ask for your camaraderie because they need your help.
“Together we can stop these remarkable British birds from passing into legend.”
“We are screaming for you to help us, to look up to remember you share your home with other kinds.
“Feathers, birds, fins, scales, wings – our shared home is becoming parched with life, destroyed, flooded, licked by flames ablaze.
“Through these shared struggles we only ask for one thing, a safe place to rest after our perilous journey home.”
Members of the public could be seen stopping, pointing and taking pictures as she marched through the streets and posed at major London landmarks.
Ms Bourne-Taylor has now started a petition calling for new homes to have bricks which can be used by birds to nest inside.
RSPB executive director Emma Marsh said: “Swifts are one of many species desperately in need of our help.
“More than half have disappeared from UK skies in just 20 years, partly because of a lack of suitable nesting sites.
“As Hannah’s amazing campaign highlights, swift bricks should be compulsory in all new housing developments.
“I would urge everyone to sign this petition to help ensure swifts and other species have traditionally nested in the cavities of our buildings have a safe home to return to every year.”
