Special bricks to help birds put in every new home in Scotland

A new law has been passed in Scotland which means that every new house built in the country will have to have a swift brick in them.

A swift brick looks a bit like a normal brick, but it's hollow inside to allow birds - like swifts - to nest in them.

According to charity RSPB (The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) the number of swifts in the UK has fallen by around 66% over the last 25 years.

Conservationists say this is because of a lack of bugs to eat and places to nest.

Swifts normally like to nest in little holes under the roofs of people's houses, and once they find a cosy nest, they will return to the same place every year.

Scottish MPs hope that the new rules will help give the birds a boost.

So far the Scottish parliament is the only nation in the UK to make swift bricks a legal requirement in new homes.

Last year, the government rejected the proposal to make the bricks mandatory in England.

Instead there will be 'suggestions' in 'planning guidance' for building new homes.

Likewise the Senned in Wales also rejected the proposal in November last year.

In Northern Ireland the government said they prefer to allow local councils to make the decision, rather than it be a legal requirement.

Swifts spend almost all of their time in the air - that means that they can sleep, eat and even bathe whilst flying.

Speaking of flying, swifts have an impressive top speed of 69mph.

They also travel huge distances every year - around 22,000 km (or 14,000 miles).

This is because the birds like to stay warm, so they travel to the UK in the summer, and migrate to Africa during the winter.

In 2020, Swifts were added to the UK's red list of birds most in need of conservation.