
Christmas Swiftlet
Collocalia natalis Lister, 1889
9–11 cmLength5.9 gWeight
Busiest months: November–December · Most records: Christmas Island
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November–December · Most records: Christmas Island
Christmas Swiftlet has been recorded at 10 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- SettlementChristmas Island98 records
- Christmas Island National ParkChristmas Island98 records
- Territory Day Park and LookoutChristmas Island94 records
More places
- Christmas Island Refuse SiteChristmas Island55 records
- The DalesChristmas Island47 records
- Christmas Island Golf CourseChristmas Island43 records
- Margaret Knoll LookoutChristmas Island41 records
- Flying Fish CoveChristmas Island41 records
- East of Rocky PointChristmas Island23 records
- VQ3 LodgeChristmas Island17 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
Questions
How big is the Christmas Swiftlet?
The Christmas Swiftlet is about 9–11 cm long and weighs around 5.9 g.
Where does the Christmas Swiftlet live?
Its breeding range: Indian Ocean: Christmas Island (south of western Java). It is most often recorded in Christmas Island.
When is the best time to see the Christmas Swiftlet?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November and December (Southern Hemisphere).
What does the Christmas Swiftlet eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Christmas Swiftlet in?
It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 9–11 cm
- Weight
- 5.9 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
More measurements
- Wing
- 94 mm
- Tail
- 36 mm
- Bill
- 5 mm
- Tarsus
- 9 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Indian Ocean: Christmas Island (south of western Java)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Swifts Apodidae
- Genus
- Collocalia
Other birds in the genus Collocalia
Plume-toed SwiftletCollocalia affinis
Grey-rumped SwiftletCollocalia marginata
Ridgetop SwiftletCollocalia isonota
Tenggara SwiftletCollocalia sumbawae
Drab SwiftletCollocalia neglecta
Glossy SwiftletCollocalia esculenta
Satin SwiftletCollocalia uropygialis
Bornean SwiftletCollocalia dodgei
Cave SwiftletCollocalia linchi
Pygmy SwiftletCollocalia troglodytes
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Leo. ↗
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