Apus nipalensis
Silhouette: Ferran Sayol · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
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 |
No species of the same family or order lives in Kunming, so these are its closest relatives here: other birds.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift sighting in Kunming on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 49th most-seen of the 99 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July–August and October
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a House Swift in Kunming on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months. Those are among Kunming's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain a month against 10 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.
30th of 44
Of the 44 cities where we can rate House Swift sightings, Kunming ranks 30th at about 10%. The best odds are in Zhuhai [Macau] (China, about 50%), Dhaka (Bangladesh, about 50%) and Taichung (Taiwan, about 40%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Kunming (19 verified sightings), 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.
