Asian Palm Swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Asian Palm Swift

Cypsiurus balasiensis (Gray, JE, 1829)

≈12 cmLength9.1 gWeight

This small, pale brown swift has long wings swept back into a crescent and a long, deeply forked tail that is often held closed.

Busiest months: February · Most records: India, Thailand, Cambodia

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Mainly pale brown overall
  2. Long, swept-back wings shaped like a crescent or boomerang
  3. Slender body and deeply forked tail, often held closed
  4. Very short-legged; legs and feet used only to grip vertical surfaces

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juveniles differ from adults mainly in having a shorter tail.

Voice

Loud, sharp shrieks.

Where and when it's recorded

Asian Palm Swift has been recorded at 822 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Krishnampudur AreaIndia3,809 records
  2. IIT BombayIndia2,658 records
  3. Panchayat Union Middle School, KrishnampudurIndia2,369 records
More places
  1. Tharamangalam-West Car StreetIndia2,349 records
  2. Kannankurichi Mookaneri TankIndia2,011 records
  3. Krishnampathi Lake, SeeranaickenpalayamIndia1,654 records
  4. Pavalathanoor Lake, TharamangalamIndia1,578 records
  5. IIT MadrasIndia1,413 records
  6. Thrissur Government Medical CollegeIndia1,346 records
  7. Stanley Reservoir – Pannavadi, MetturIndia1,191 records

Countries and regions with the most records

IndiaThailandCambodiaSri LankaBangladeshChinaVietnamLaos

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Asian palm swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) is a small swift. It is very similar to the African palm swift, Cypsiurus parvus, and was formerly considered to be the same species.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Asian Palm Swift?

The Asian Palm Swift is about ≈12 cm long and weighs around 9.1 g.

Where does the Asian Palm Swift live?

Its breeding range: Oriental: widespread. It is most often recorded in India, Thailand and Cambodia.

When is the best time to see the Asian Palm Swift?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in February (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Asian Palm Swift endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Asian Palm Swift as Least Concern.

What does the Asian Palm Swift eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the Asian Palm Swift in?

It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.

At a glance

Length
≈12 cm
Weight
9.1 g
Habitat
Towns & farmland
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
115 mm
Tail
60 mm
Bill
6 mm
Tarsus
9 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Oriental: widespread

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Swifts Apodidae
Genus
Cypsiurus

Other birds in the genus Cypsiurus

African Palm SwiftAfrican Palm SwiftCypsiurus parvusMalagasy Palm SwiftMalagasy Palm SwiftCypsiurus gracilisSpot-fronted SwiftSpot-fronted SwiftCypseloides cherrieiWhite-chinned SwiftWhite-chinned SwiftCypseloides cryptusWhite-fronted SwiftWhite-fronted SwiftCypseloides storeriSooty SwiftSooty SwiftCypseloides fumigatusRothschild's SwiftRothschild's SwiftCypseloides rothschildiAmerican Black SwiftAmerican Black SwiftCypseloides nigerWhite-chested SwiftWhite-chested SwiftCypseloides lemosiGreat Dusky SwiftGreat Dusky SwiftCypseloides senex
Asian Palm Swift

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dr. Raju Kasambe. ↗

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