The Tenggara swiftlet is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the western Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia.
Region
Southeast Asia
Typical Environment
Endemic to the western Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia, where it breeds colonially in coastal and inland limestone caves. It forages widely over lowland and foothill forests, open country, and coastal zones, often ranging far from breeding caves. It also occurs over agricultural land and around villages where aerial insects are abundant. Roosting and nesting are concentrated in caves and sometimes on sea cliffs with suitable overhangs.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This swiftlet nests in caves and often uses simple echolocation clicks to navigate in complete darkness. Like many swiftlets, it constructs a small cup-shaped nest largely from hardened saliva attached to cave walls. It is fast and highly aerial, spending most of its life on the wing while foraging for tiny insects. Identification in the field can be challenging and often relies on voice and location.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
swift, scything flight with rapid wingbeats and agile turns
Social Behavior
Usually seen in small to medium flocks in foraging flight, sometimes mixed with other swiftlets and swifts. Nests colonially on cave walls using saliva, with pairs defending only a small area around the nest. Likely breeds seasonally with rains when insect prey is abundant.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocalizations include high, thin chips and twittering contact calls given in flight. Inside caves, it may produce sharp clicking sounds used for simple echolocation.
Plumage
Uniform sooty-brown to dark gray-brown with slightly paler underparts; glossy sheen may be visible in good light. Short, slightly forked tail and long, narrow, sickle-shaped wings. Overall appearance is plain, with minimal contrast.
Diet
Feeds almost exclusively on small flying insects and aerial plankton such as ants, termites, flies, and beetles. Captures prey on the wing at varying heights, often adjusting altitude with weather and insect swarms. Will exploit termite emergences and other brief insect hatches.
Preferred Environment
Forages over forest edges, open countryside, coastal zones, and above rivers and rice fields. Frequently patrols airspace near breeding caves and along ridgelines where updrafts concentrate insects.
