Australian Swiftlet

1. Small, dark swift with a paler grey rump and slightly forked tail

2. Pale feathers on the forehead and lores; both sexes look similar

3. High-pitched flight call and metallic clicking sounds in caves for echolocation

Australian Swiftlets are aerial insectivores, catching insects and drifting spiders mid-flight. They breed in colonies inside dark caves or among boulders, constructing translucent, basket-shaped nests from saliva, grasses, twigs, and feathers, attached high on cave walls or ceilings. The breeding season runs from July to March, with each pair producing two clutches per season, each consisting of a single white egg. Both parents share incubation duties for about 26.5 days. Notably, the warmth from the first chick helps incubate the second egga rare strategy among birds. Chicks remain in the nest for 46–51 days after hatching. Swiftlets are non-migratory and remain near their breeding sites year-round.

Australian Swiftlets are found in tropical north and northeast Queensland, from the Claudie River on Cape York Peninsula south to the Eungella Range near Mackay, including some offshore islands. They inhabit areas up to 1, metres above sea level but are most common below 5 metres. Look for them flying in flocks over rainforest edges, savannas, pastures, beaches, and especially near limestone caves and gorges, where they breed. They typically forage within 3 kilometres of their breeding colonies and are active during the day, returning to caves to roost and nest`.`