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Pacific Swifts are large, slender swifts. Their underside (front) is dappled dark grey-brown, with a greyish throat. The long, narrow tail can be seen forked, but is adjustable and sometimes seen as one narrow tip. The underwings show dark-brown coverts and greyish-brown flight feathers. In flight they have the appearance of a narrow sickle. The top side (back) is mostly dark greyish-brown, with a light-grey rump. The flight feathers are darker than the rest of the wings. The bill is very short and the irises are black. The legs and feet are completely invisible in flight.

Twitcher's tip

Compared with White-throated Needletails, they have a much slimmer appearance. The wing beat is light and usually not audible.

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 Pacific Swift is available HERE .

Pacific Swifts breed in the northern hemisphere, where they are found in eastern Asia, in an area spanning from eastern Siberia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and southward throughout central and eastern China and all of South-east Asia. They migrate southwards via the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea to spend the northern winters in Australia.

Pacific Swifts, race "pacificus", are non-breeding migrants to Australia from far-eastern Asia. They can appear anywhere along the tropcial North coast, from Exmouth, WA, in the West to Fraser Island, QLD, in the East. To the best of our knowledge, Pacific Swifts never set foot on Australian soil. They are found in the air above the tropical North of the continent, down to the geographic latitude of Exmouth in WA, and above the eastern half of the continent, eastward of about Lake Eyre in SA. In the eastern half of Australia they progress to the far South, including Bass Strait and Tasmania. There are also occasional reports of sightings in the western half and the South coast of WA.

Pacific Swifts are observed above a variety of habitats on the ground, from coastal and urban areas to the open plains of the semi-arid interior.

Where to look? How to find this species?

If one finds a flock of sickle-winged birds circling in the air or hawking for insects (that are much too fast to be any kind of swallow or martin), they may be Pacific Swifts.
Note, however, that a detailed look is necessary to visually identify the species (which rarely calls). In particular, one must make sure that they are not (the more common of the two species) White-throated Needletails.

A Pacific Swift was first spotted by us at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, NSW, in December 2006. They were not found again at the same location until November 2018. A large, extended flock stretching from Eulah Creek to Narrabri Lake, over a distance of 25 km and comprising hundreds of birds, was found by us in March 2019. The next sighting at Eulah Creek was in December 2024. Pacific Swifts are much more uncommon in inland NSW than White-throated Needletails, with which they are sometimes seen together.

C. Hayne reports that Pacific Swifts are spotted occasionally in the Moree township, where they have a preference for open areas. Seen more often at Whittaker's Lagoon, 20 km West of Moree, and farther downstream along the Mehi River. They are spotted most regularly during periods of clear skies (e.g. April 2009, November 2011, October-December 2012, February 2013). In February 2013, a flock of about 30 Pacific Swifts were observed together with at least 3 White-throated Needletails (which are rarely found above the open plains). They are spotted more regularly around Ashley, NSW, with several sightings every season and in January 2014 also at Terry Hie Hie, NSW. Hundreds of Pacific Swifts were seen by C. Hayne again above the township of Moree in November 2014.

In December 2012 approximately 20 Pacific Swifts were observed by us hunting in an updraught on the western slopes of the Nandewar Range, Mt. Kaputar NP, at an altitude of about 1600 m, together with a flock of roughly 200 White-browed Woodswallows.

H. Mouritsen spotted 4 Pacific Swifts at Kakadu NP in October 2015.

In March 2016 we spotted a small number of Pacific Swifts at Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW.

B. Hensen reports spotting Pacific Swifts above Tiwi, NT, in October 2018 and above Nakara, Darwin, NT, in November 2018.