Treeswifts
Treeswifts
Hemiprocnidae
The Elegant Sky Dwellers: Treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae) are slender, long-tailed relatives of swifts, found across Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Unlike true swifts, which spend nearly their entire lives in flight, treeswifts perch on branches, where their cryptic plumage helps them blend into the canopy. Their elongated wings and deeply forked tails give them a graceful, almost swallow-like flight. These birds are expert aerial hunters, catching insects mid-air with precision. The Crested Treeswift (Hemiprocne coronata) and Grey-rumped Treeswift (Hemiprocne longipennis) are two of the most widespread species, often seen gliding effortlessly above forests and rivers. One of their most fascinating traits is their nesting strategy—treeswifts construct tiny, cup-shaped nests made of saliva and plant fibers, which they attach to tree branches. The female lays a single egg, and both parents take turns incubating while clinging to the nest. Although not as well-known as their swift relatives, treeswifts are elegant and highly specialized birds, showcasing the incredible adaptations of aerial insectivores.