This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations.(February 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
Indian swiftlet
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Clade:
Strisores
Order:
Apodiformes
Family:
Apodidae
Genus:
Aerodramus
Species:
A. unicolor
Binomial name
Aerodramus unicolor
(Jerdon, 1840)
Synonyms[2]
Collocalia unicolor (Jerdon, 1840)
Hirundo unicolor Jerdon, 1840
The Indian Swiftlet or Indian edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus unicolor) is a small swift. It is a common resident colonial breeder in the hills of Sri Lanka and south west India.
The half-cup nest is built on a vertical surface, often in a cave. The male swift uses thick saliva to construct the white, shiny nest into which two eggs are laid.
The relatively tasteless nests are harvested, and mixed with chicken, spices, and other flavours as bird's nest soup, a supposed aphrodisiac.
This 12 cm long species is mainly dark brown above and paler brown below. It has swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The body is slender, and the tail is short and only slightly indented.
Both sexes and young birds are similar. The Indian swiftlet has very short legs which it uses only for clinging to vertical surfaces, since swifts never settle voluntarily on the ground.
These swifts spend most of their lives in the air, living on the insects they catch in their bills, and they drink on the wing.
Indian Swiftlet in Thattekad, Kerala, India
^BirdLife International (2016). "Aerodramus unicolor". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22686516A93115618. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22686516A93115618.en. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
^"Aerodramus unicolor (Jerdon, 1840)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
The IndianSwiftlet or Indian edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus unicolor) is a small swift. It is a common resident colonial breeder in the hills of Sri...
Swiftlets are birds from the four genera Aerodramus, Collocalia, Hydrochous and Schoutedenapus, which form the tribe Collocaliini within the swift family...
on the swiftlet populations. The range of these swiftlets is confined to tropical southern Asia, Oceania, northeastern Australia and the Indian Ocean,...
duck Indian spotted creeper Indian spotted eagle Indian stone-curlew IndianswiftletIndian vulture Indian white-eye Indian yellow-nosed albatross Indigo...
The Christmas Island swiftlet (Collocalia natalis), also known as the Christmas glossy swiftlet or the Christmas cave swiftlet, is a small bird in the...
Indian swiftlet Painted francolin Painted bush-quail Red spurfowl Painted spurfowl Indian peafowl Indian black ibis Crested hawk-eagle Indian vulture...
have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. Indianswiftlet White-rumped spinetail White-throated needletail Brown-backed needletail...
within the political limits of the Republic of India as defined by the Indian government. There have been 1377 species recorded as of 2023, of which 81...
have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. Indianswiftlet, Aerodramus unicolor White-rumped spinetail, Zoonavena sylvatica Brown-backed...
confirmed as endemic. The other resident species are also found in the nearby Indian mainland, but over 80 have developed distinct Sri Lankan races. Some of...
white-headed starling Collocalia affinis, the plume-toed swiftlet Aerodramus fuciphagus, the edible-nest swiftlet The islands' many caves, such as those at Chalis...
and wide gape allow it to pick up eggs of birds from nests as well as swiftlets from caves. Along with swallow-tailed kites they share the unique habit...
The Seychelles swiftlet (Aerodramus elaphrus) is a small bird of the swift family. It is found only in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is...
have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. Indianswiftlet, Aerodramus unicolor White-rumped spinetail, Zoonavena sylvatica Brown-backed...