Birds of India - Swifts

Swifts

Order: Apodiformes. Family: Apodidae

Swifts are small aerial birds, spending the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. There are 98 species worldwide and 17 species which occur in India.

• Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta
• Indian Swiftlet Aerodramus unicolor
• Himalayan Swiftlet Aerodramus brevirostris
• Black-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus maximus
• Edible-nest Swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus
• White-rumped Needletail Zoonavena sylvatica
• White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus
• Silver-backed Needletail Hirundapus cochinchinensis
• Brown-backed Needletail Hirundapus giganteus
• Asian Palm-Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
• Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba
• Common Swift Apus apus
• Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
• Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus (specifically the population split as Blyth's Swift Apus leuconyx)
• Dark-rumped Swift Apus acuticauda
• Little Swift Apus affinis (House Swift Apus nipalensis needs study per Rasmussen and Anderton, 2005)