Aerodramus brevirostris
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
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. This swiftlet was formerly placed in the genus Collocalia. Two of its five subspecies are frequently given full species status, A. b. rogersi as the Indochinese swiftlet, Aerodramus rogersi, and the isolated Javan form A. b. vulcanorum as the Volcano swiftlet, Aerodramus vulcanorum.
This 13–14 cm long swiftlet has swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The body is slender, and the tail is forked. It is, in many respects, a typical swift, having narrow wings for fast flight, and a wide gape and small beak surrounded by bristles for catching insects in flight. Its legs are very short, preventing the bird from perching, but allowing it to cling to vertical surfaces.
It is mainly grey-brown above and paler brown below. It has a pale grey rump and a pale patch above and behind the bill. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has a less distinct rump. There are five subspecies, differing mainly in the rump tone.
A. b. brevirostris breeds in the Himalayas east to Bangladesh, Myanmar... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 2 | Namdapha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Langtang National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 4 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 5 | Royal Manas National Park | 🇧🇹 Bhutan | |
| 6 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 7 | Jiuzhaigou National Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 10 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 12 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chengdu | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Dhaka | 🇧🇩 Bangladesh | |
| 3 | Kathmandu | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 4 | Dehradun | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Phnom Penh | 🇰🇭 Cambodia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Swiftlet sighting in Langtang National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 112th most-seen of the 225 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Swiftlet in Langtang National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April and October–November, the lowest months. That is one of Langtang National Park's wettest months, with about 390 mm of rain against 10 mm in November.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Himalayan Swiftlet sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Himalayan Swiftlet sightings, Langtang National Park ranks 3rd at about 10%. The best odds are in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 20%) and Namdapha National Park (India, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Himalayan Swiftlet is recorded against all the birds logged in Langtang National Park (37 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.
