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14

Australian Swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae) Alternate name(s): "Grey-rumped Swiftlet", "Grey Swiftlet", "Moth-bird" (formerly part of "White-rumped Swiftlet" [Aerodramus spodiopygius]) Size: 11-12 cm; wing span 10.7-11.8 cm Weight: 8.5-12.5 g

Australia: Family Group 14 Family Group 14 Table Australian Swiftlet Fork-tailed Swift White-throated Needletail Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher Yellow-billed Kingfisher Azure Kingfisher Little Kingfisher Forest Kingfisher Red-backed Kingfisher Torresian Kingfisher Sacred Kingfisher Blue-winged Kookaburra Laughing Kookaburra Rainbow Bee-eater Dollarbird Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Australian Swiftlets are small swifts. The head is dark-grey, the body is dappled grey. The underwings and undertail are all dark-grey. The top (back of the head, upperwings, tail) is dark-grey, except for the light-grey rump. The tail is long, with a squarish tip. The bill is very short; the eyes are black.

Taxonomy, classification See Australian Swiftlet at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Australian Swiftlet is available HERE . Australian Swiftlets are endemic to north-eastern Australia. Their range extends from Cape York peninsula along the QLD East coast and adjacent tablelands, as far South as about Bundaberg, QLD (rarely into far northern NSW). Their range also extends out to sea and encompasses the air space above the Great Barrier Reef. Australian Swiftlets forage in the air above various types of ground habitat (e.g. coastal ranges, cliffs and offshore islands). They nest colonially in caves.

Sightings Click here for sighting information B. Hensen reports spotting Australian Swiftlets in Cairns, QLD, in June 2013. M. Eaton reports finding Australian Swiftlets on the Daintree River, QLD, in July 2018.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Distant, near-frontal view of an Australian Swiftlet in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, June 2013]

Australian Swiftlet in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Daintree River, QLD, July 2018]

Australian Swiftlet in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, June 2013]

Australian Swiftlet in flight, different phase of the wingbeat (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Cairns, QLD, June 2013]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Tue, 24 November 2020, 10:39 +00:00