Bates's Swift is a dark swift with a deeply forked tail. It occurs in humid forests from western Cameroon toward northern Gabon and eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The body is mostly dark, with a slightly paler throat. In flight, the deeply forked tail is conspicuous.
It lives in humid lowland forest and uses old swallow nests as nesting sites.
In flight it appears to move mainly the wingtips, glides infrequently and changes direction in smooth curves.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.