Habitat
Aerial. Over lowlands to mountains up to more than 2100 m above sea level. Often over cliffs and closely associated with urban areas and human settlements.
House Swift (Apus nipalensis) [XC494273]
by Brendan Sloan from Ramnagar, Uttarakhand, India (call)
House Swift (Apus nipalensis) [XC894692]
by Ding Li Yong from CCT Building, Phayathai Road, Ratchathewi, Bangkok, Thailand (call)
Nest
Composed of straw and feathers glued together against some overhang, sometimes isolated but often touching each other and overlapping, in holes of buildings and cliffs. In colonies.
Eggs (Guide)
1 - 4; glossy, white; 21 - 25 x 14 - 16 mm. Incubation: 23 days.
Young
Fledge in about 38 days.
Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Little Swift (Apus affinis). Often considered conspecific with Little Swift (Apus affinis).
The following 4 subspecies are recognised:
nipalensis (Hodgson, 1836) - Nepal east to south-eastern China (Fujian) and Japan, south through Assam and south-eastern Asia, and also northern Philippines.
subfurcatus (Blyth, 1849) - Malay Peninsula, Sumatra including Riau Archipelago and Belitung, Anambas, northern Natunas and Borneo.
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