Asian Palm-Swift
Asian Palm-SwiftAsian Palm-SwiftAsian Palm-SwiftAsian Palm-Swift

Asian Palm-Swift

Cypsiurus balasiensis

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Sepilok
138 Verified sightings at Sepilok From 2019 to 2026
8,754 Verified sightings across all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted at dawn and dusk

About the Asian Palm-Swift

The Asian palm swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis) is a small swift. It is very similar to the African palm swift, Cypsiurus parvus, and was formerly considered to be the same species. It is a common resident breeder in tropical Asia from India to the Philippines. The down and feather nest is glued to the underside of a palm leaf with saliva, which is also used to secure the usually two or three eggs. This is a bird of open country and cultivation, which is strongly associated with oil palms.

This 13 cm long species is mainly pale brown in colour. It has long swept-back wings that resemble a crescent or a boomerang. The body is slender, and the tail is long and deeply forked, although it is usually held closed. The call is a loud shrill scream.

Sexes are similar, and young birds differ from adults mainly in their shorter tails. Asian palm swift 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 beaks. Asian palm swifts often feed near the ground, and they drink on the wing. Compilers: Stuart... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Sepilok

Plume-toed Swiftlet

Plume-toed Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Collocalia affinis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Silver-rumped Needletail
LC

Silver-rumped Needletail

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Rhaphidura leucopygialis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
White-nest Swiftlet
LC

White-nest Swiftlet

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Aerodramus fuciphagus

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Brown-backed Needletail
LC

Brown-backed Needletail

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hirundapus giganteus

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
House Swift
LC Endemic

House Swift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Apus nipalensis

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Pacific Swift
LC

Pacific Swift

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Apus pacificus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Black-nest Swiftlet
LC

Black-nest Swiftlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aerodramus maximus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Mossy-nest Swiftlet
LC

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aerodramus salangana

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
White-throated Needletail
LC

White-throated Needletail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hirundapus caudacutus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Gray-rumped Treeswift
LC

Gray-rumped Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne longipennis

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Whiskered Treeswift
LC

Whiskered Treeswift

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Hemiprocne comata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
2 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~40%
3 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~40%
4 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
6 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
7 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
8 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
9 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
10 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
11 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
12 Doi Inthanon National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
13 Khao Luang National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
14 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
15 Namdapha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
16 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
17 Manas National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
18 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
19 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
~10%
20 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
21 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
22 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
23 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
24 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
25 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
26 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
<5%
27 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
28 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
29 Horton Plains National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
<5%
30 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
31 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
32 Danum Valley Conservation Area 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
33 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
34 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
35 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
36 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
37 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
38 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
39 Kerinci Seblat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Asian Palm-Swift in Sepilok?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Asian Palm-Swift sighting in Sepilok, based on 138 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Asian Palm-Swift in Sepilok?

June has the highest sighting rate for Asian Palm-Swift in Sepilok in our monthly data.

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