Hemiprocne coronata
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The crested treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata) is a species of tree swift. It was for some time considered the same species as its eastern relative, the gray-rumped treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis), but they do not interbreed where their ranges overlap. It is distinct in flight, with long, bowed wings and a deeply forked tail that usually appears narrow and pointed.
The crested treeswift is a large slender bird at 23 cm (9 in) length. This species is dove grey above and white below. The long swept-back wings are a darker grey above. This treeswift has a crest and a long, deeply forked tail. The adult male has orange cheeks and ear coverts with a narrow streak of white under the eye and a trace of a white supercilium. The female also has a thin white stripe below the eye running below the grey cheek and ear coverts. Young birds have a dark grey head and wings but the feathers are edged in white and the rest of the soft plumage is much streakier than that of the adults. They are found in small groups that fly in wide circles in open forest, occasionally perching atop a tall and leafless tree. When perched they appear to sit very upright.
The call of this species is a... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 2 | Wilpattu National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 3 | Udawalawe National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 4 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Minneriya National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 8 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 9 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Gir National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 12 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 13 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 15 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 16 | Doi Inthanon National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 17 | Periyar National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Kaeng Krachan National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 20 | Khao Yai National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 21 | Cat Tien National Park | 🇻🇳 Vietnam |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Treeswift sighting in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, based on 191 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Crested Treeswift in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, against about 30% in February, July and September–October, the lowest months. That is one of Wilpattu National Park's wettest months, with about 320 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
Between 3 and 6 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Crested Treeswift 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.
2nd of 21
Of the 21 parks where we can rate Crested Treeswift sightings, Wilpattu National Park ranks 2nd at about 40%. The best odds are in Yala National Park (Sri Lanka, about 50%). All parks ranked.
Same order: Apodiformes
The closest relatives of the Crested Treeswift that you can see in Wilpattu National Park (order Apodiformes, Swifts and Hummingbirds) are Asian Palm-Swift (about 30%), Little Swift (about 10%) and Indian Swiftlet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Crested Treeswift is recorded against all the birds logged in Wilpattu National Park (191 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.
