Apus nipalensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The house swift (Apus nipalensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Japan, Nepal, and Southeast Asia. It is capable of flying long distances by alternately shutting off hemispheres of its brain in-flight.
It was formerly considered a subspecies of the little swift, under the name Apus affinis subfurcatus. The house swift looks quite similar to the little swift. It is a small bird, but a medium-sized swift, with a wingspan of 12.5-14.5 cm. Its body size ranges from 14 to 16 cm and weighs approximately 20-35 g. This species has a dark, slightly forked tail. Other than the white rump band and white throat-patch, the house swift has a black plumage, darker than the little swift.
The name Apus nipalensis has two parts. Apus is the genus for swifts, and comes from the Latin word for the swift, or swallow with no feet. Nipalensis means from Nepal. Currently, there are four subspecies of the house swift: Apus nipalensis nipalensis, Apus nipalensis subfurcatus, Apus nipalensis furcatus, and Apus nipalensis kuntzi.
The house swift is highly aerial, spending much of its time feeding in the air. The house... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 3 | Bali Barat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 4 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 5 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 6 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 9 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 11 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 12 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 13 | Tangkoko Nature Reserve | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 14 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 15 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 16 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 17 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 18 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 19 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 20 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 22 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 23 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 3 | Taichung | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 4 | Yogyakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Xiamen City | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 6 | Xiuying District | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 7 | Jakarta | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 8 | Savar | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 9 | Bangkok | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 10 | Quanzhou | 🇨🇳 China |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift sighting in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, based on 35 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 191st most-seen of the 244 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift in Cat Tien National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September–October and December–June, the lowest months. Those are among Cat Tien National Park's wettest months, with about 370 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most House Swift sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
17th of 23
Of the 23 parks where we can rate House Swift sightings, Cat Tien National Park ranks 17th at under 5%. The best odds are in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 20%), Taroko National Park (Taiwan, about 20%) and Bali Barat National Park (Indonesia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Cat Tien National Park (35 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
