White-vented Needletail (Hirundapus cochinchinensis)
Order: APODIFORMES
Family: APODIDAE Swifts
Scientific name: Hirundapus cochinchinensis
English name: White-vented Needletail
Characteristic: "Size 23 cm. It is swift-like in appearnce, except that the body plumage is much gaudier; a long crest is quite distinctive; upperpart bluish grey with darker grey sings; breast much paler bluish grey; lower belly and under tail coverts white; wings so long as sicke-shaped that they will extend crossing each other at rest; tail long and deeply forked, and each fork very pointed; these tail feathers, at rest, will extend further backward beyond the wing tips. A male has reddish brown cheek patches."
Distribution: "India, southwest China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam."
Habitat: "Open fields, dry dipterocarp forest, scrub forest, agricltural areas, from the plain to 1,400 m altitude. Seen in both dry dipterocarp and forest plantation in Sakaerat area."
Habit: "oftenly observed flying in small flocks of 6 - 8 birds in early morning and late evening. They avoid the hot hours perching on tall tree tops. It has a remarkable flight maneuverability with rapid wingeats, interspersed with skillful gliding. Its usual diet is mainly air-borne insects. Breeds from January to March; its nest is a small half-cup-shaped attached to side of a branch. Only 1 egg is laid and its size also fits the nest interior space. Its sticky saliva is used to cement its nest. Both parent share in incubation."
Status: "A resident swift, infrequently seen in sakaerat forest. Legally protected as a protected wild animal."
