Wildlifeof Nepal
Pacific Swift
Nightjars, Frogmouths & Swifts
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Apus pacificus
Basic stats
Diet
Insects, hunted higher than most relatives
Habitat
Breeds in caves, rock crevices or under the roofs of houses
Range
Breeds in eastern Asia; winters in Southeast Asia and Australia
Clutch size
2–3 white eggs
Incubation period
About 17 days
Size
17–18cm
The Pacific swift is the largest of the Apus swifts, 17 to 18cm long. The upperparts are black apart from a white rump band and a somewhat greyer head, and the underparts are heavily marked. It is distinguished from the common swift by the white rump band, a deeper tail fork and a broader rump. It tends to hunt higher than most relatives other than the white-throated needletail (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds in eastern Asia and is strongly migratory, spending the northern winter in Southeast Asia and Australia. It breeds in sheltered locations such as caves, natural rock crevices or under the roofs of houses, with a half-cup nest of dry grass cemented with saliva to a vertical surface. Two or three white eggs are incubated for about 17 days, and the chicks fledge in about 40 days.
Quick answers
- What does the Pacific Swift eat?
- Insects, hunted higher than most relatives
- What habitat does the Pacific Swift live in?
- Breeds in caves, rock crevices or under the roofs of houses
- Where is the Pacific Swift found?
- Breeds in eastern Asia; winters in Southeast Asia and Australia
- How many eggs does the Pacific Swift lay?
- 2–3 white eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Pacific Swift incubated?
- About 17 days
- How big is the Pacific Swift?
- 17–18cm