Aerodramus brevirostris
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Swiftlet sighting in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 210th most-seen of the 233 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.
January and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Himalayan Swiftlet in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–June and September–December, the lowest months. Those are among Royal Bardia National Park's wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain a month against almost none in November. August has too few records to rate.
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.
9th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Himalayan Swiftlet sightings, Royal Bardia National Park ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Khao Yai National Park (Thailand, about 20%), Namdapha National Park (India, about 10%) and Langtang National Park (Nepal, about 10%).
Same family: Apodidae
The closest relatives of the Himalayan Swiftlet that you can see in Royal Bardia National Park (family Apodidae, Swifts) are White-rumped Needletail (about 10%) and House Swift (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Himalayan Swiftlet is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Bardia National Park (8 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.
