All Swiftlets (All Species of Aerodramus, hydrochous and Collocalia)

Family: APODIDAE 

A worldwide family of fast-flying, insectivorous birds; look superficially rather like swallows but are in fact most closely related to hummingbirds.

Swifts have long, pointed backswept wings and either short and squarish or long and pointed tails, and tiny legs. They rarely perch in trees but usually rest by clinging to cliffs with their sharp claws. They nest in caves, hollow trees, and under house roofs in cup-shaped nests made of mud or, in some species, saliva.

They feed on the wing using their wide mouth to catch insects. Some of the cave-nesting swiftlets use a form of sonar echolocation with clicking calls to find their way in the dark.

There are 14 species of swifts in the Greater Sundas and some are very difficult to identify in flight.

Giant Swiftlet (hydrochous gigas) 

Description: Large (16 cm) swiftlet with sooty black upperparts, dark rump, and dark brown underparts. The tail is slightly forked.  Iris - brown; bill - black; feet - black.

Voice: Sharp, whickering calls.

Distribution and status: There are sight records from N Borneo.

Habits: Generally over forests, in hilly and mountainous terrain. Tends to fly higher and faster than other swiftlets. Does not use echolocation. Nests under waterfalls and in rock crevices. The nest is inedible cup of roots, moss, and other fibres cemented with saliva.

Edible-Nest Swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) 
Discription: Smallish (12 cm) swiftlet. Upperparts blackish brown with paler, greyish or brown rump in Java, or dark brown rump in Sumatra and Borneo (sub-species vestita); tail slightly forked; underparts brown. Generally indistinguishable in the field from Mossy-nest, Black-nest, and Volcano Swiftlets unless at nest.  Iris - dark brown; bill - black; feet - black.

Voice: High-pitched tscheerrr is commonly uttered near breeding sites.

Distribution and status: Common at all altitudes, up to 2800 m on Borneo.

Habits: Generally feeds higher than Glossy Swiftlet and has more powerful, less fluttery flight on stiffer wings. Uses echolocation in dark caves with a loud 'rattle call'. Often feeds around tall forest trees such as fruiting figs which attract fig wasps; bathes and drinks over fresh water by dipping down with a splash. Breeds in coastal rock crevices or deep in limestone caves. Nests are made entirely of hardened saliva and are the valued 'white birds' nests' which are collected for sale to make birds' nest soup.

Note: Some authors split German's Swiftlet C.germani as a distinct species on the basis of sympatric distribution, but ecological isolation of the forms allows them to be treated as the same species. Can be placed in genusAerodramus.

Black-Nest Swiftlet (Collacalia maxima) 
Description: Smallish (13 cm) blackish brown swiftlet with rump grading from greyish to the same colour as the back, and virtually indistinguishable in the field from the Edible-nest Swiftlet. Legs are well feathered; tail rather square-cut.  Iris - brown; bill - black; feet - black.

Voice: Shrill calls.

Distribution and status: On Borneo this is the commonest swiftlet in lime-stone areas.

Habits: The nest is made of white, cemented saliva mixed with feathers in lime-stone caves. These are the so-called 'black nests' which are harvested for sale but are of less value than the cleaner 'white nests' because more labour is needed to remove feathers and grubs. Birds give echolocation 'rattle' call

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