Other Names (World)
Pacific Swift, Australian Swift, Migrant Swift, White-belted Swift, White-rumped Swift, Siberian White-rumped Swift, New Holland Swallow, Rainbird, Rain-brother, Fork-tailed Swift
Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan (B), Cambodia, China (mainland) (B), Christmas Island, Guam (NB), Hong Kong (China) (B), India (B), Indonesia, Japan (B), Kazakhstan (B), Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands (NB), Mongolia (B), Myanmar (B), Nepal (B), North Korea (B), Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Pakistan (B), Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Singapore, South Korea (B), Taiwan (China) (B), Thailand (B), Timor-Leste (P), USA, Vietnam.
Vagrant to Brunei Darussalam, Maldives, New Zealand, Seychelles, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom.
Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus) [XC162690]
by Peter Boesman from near Tsetserleg, Mongolia (call, call in flight)
Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus) [XC722241]
by Fernand DEROUSSEN from Huangshan City, Anhui, China (call, song)
Breeding Season (Guide)
Does not breed in Australia. Breeds in northern Asia.
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Nest
A shallow saucer of vegatable amterial cemented with saliva, built into a cranny of a cliff. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
Usually 2 or 3; white; long-oval; about 26 x 17 m. Incubation: by both sexes. Copulation occurs while flying.
Subspecies
The following 5 subspecies are recognised:
pacificus (Latham, 1802) - Southern Siberia from Altai to Kamchatka, northern Mongolia, northern China and Japan, migrating through south-eastern Asia to Australia.
kanoi (Yamashina, 1942) - South-eastern Tibet through southern China to Taiwan.
leuconyx (Blyth, 1845) - Outer Himalayas and hills of Assam in north-eastern India. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Blyth's Swift (Apus leuconyx).
cooki (Harrington, 1913) - South-eastern Asia from eastern Borneo to the Malay Peninsula. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Cook's Swift (Apus cooki).
kurodae Domaniewski, 1933 - Breeds southern Japan, eastern China, Taiwan, and northern Philippines (Batan Islands). Winters in south-eastern Asia.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
BirdLife International Species Factsheet