Apus nipalensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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 |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift sighting in Chitwan National Park on a given day, based on 104 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 154th most-seen of the 367 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift in Chitwan National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–December, the lowest months. That is one of Chitwan National Park's wettest months, with about 400 mm of rain against almost none in November.
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.
7th of 23
Of the 23 parks where we can rate House Swift sightings, Chitwan National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. 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 Chitwan National Park (104 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.
