Bird Album
Glossy Swiftlet
Collocalia esculenta (Linnaeus, 1758)
9–12 cmLength6.3 gWeight
The glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
Busiest months: July · Most records: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: July · Most records: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands
Glossy Swiftlet has been recorded at 65 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 3 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Varirata National ParkPapua New Guinea879 records
- Kumul LodgePapua New Guinea651 records
- Tangkoko Batuangus NR – Forest andIndonesia458 records
More places
- Lore Lindu NP – Lake Tambing vicinityIndonesia380 records
- Tangkoko Batuangas NR – overlookIndonesia306 records
- Ambua LodgePapua New Guinea274 records
- Buli-Subaim Road – mountain passIndonesia248 records
- Tomba & Murmur Pass [2400-2800m]Papua New Guinea228 records
- Mt Komonge RidgePapua New Guinea188 records
- Highlands Hwy – above Ambua Lodge to Tari GapPapua New Guinea163 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.
About
The glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Glossy Swiftlet?
The Glossy Swiftlet is about 9–12 cm long and weighs around 6.3 g.
Where does the Glossy Swiftlet live?
Its breeding range: Oriental, Australasia: Sulawesi to New Guinea and satellites and Solomon Islands. It is most often recorded in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
When is the best time to see the Glossy Swiftlet?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in July (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Glossy Swiftlet endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Glossy Swiftlet as Least Concern.
What does the Glossy Swiftlet eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Glossy Swiftlet in?
It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 9–12 cm
- Weight
- 6.3 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 100 mm
- Tail
- 41 mm
- Bill
- 7 mm
- Tarsus
- 8 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Oriental, Australasia: Sulawesi to New Guinea and satellites and Solomon Islands
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
Satin SwiftletCollocalia uropygialis
Bornean SwiftletCollocalia dodgei
Cave SwiftletCollocalia linchi
Christmas SwiftletCollocalia natalis
Pygmy SwiftletCollocalia troglodytes
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Joseph Morlan. ↗
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