Himalayan Swiftlet

The Himalayan swiftlet is a small swift 13 to 14cm long, with swept-back wings resembling a crescent. It is a common colonial breeder in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia, mainly grey-brown above and paler brown below, with a pale grey rump and a pale patch above and behind the bill. The body is slender and the tail forked (Wikipedia, general species account).

The nominate race is an altitudinal migrant that breeds up to 4,500m in Nepal, and winters between 900 and 2,750m. The clutch is two white eggs. Over much of its range this is the only swift, but in the south of its breeding area and much of its wintering range it can be very hard to tell from other swiftlets. Other forms breed in China, Thailand, Laos and Java.