Himalayan Swiftlet

How to identify

Field marks

1. Swept-back wings shaped like a crescent or boomerang
2. Slender body and forked tail
3. Upperparts mainly gray-brown, underparts paler brown
4. Pale gray rump and a pale patch above and behind the bill

Male, female and young

Sexes similar; juveniles have a less distinct rump color.

Voice

Twittering “chit-chit” calls when roosting, also a shrill “teeree-teeree-teeree”.

Where and when it's recorded

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

Himalayan Swiftlet has been recorded at 547 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

1. Kaeng Krachan NPThailand245 records
2. Kaeng Krachan NP – Panoen Thung (upper elevation) vicinityThailand239 records
3. Doi Pha Hom Pok NP – Doi AngkhangThailand206 records

Countries and regions with the most records

ThailandChinaIndiaBhutanNepalCambodiaMyanmar (Burma)Vietnam

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 Himalayan swiftlet (Aerodramus brevirostris) is a small swift. It is a common colonial breeder in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Some populations are migratory.

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

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