Fork-tailed (Pacific) Swift

Apus pacificus

The Fork-tailed or Pacific Swift is a fairly large (18 cm) swift which is blackish above with a white rump, long sickle-shaped wings and a deeply forked tail.  It is dark brown below, with whitish fringes to the breast and belly feathers and a grayish throat.

The Pacific Swift occurs over a range of habitats including lowlands around human habitations and over mountain forests.  It is seen in small to large flocks, including mixed flocks with other swifts, feeding on a variety of flying insects captured on the wing.  The Pacific Swift makes buzzing and twittering sounds and long, high-pitched squeaks. 

The nest is a half-cup of vegetable matter glued together with saliva, placed within a fissure on a cliff, in a cave, under a bridge or under the eave of a building.  The female lays 1-3 eggs, and both parents participate in all parental duties.

In Taiwan the Pacific Swift is a common summer resident.

References:  Handbook of Birds of the World Vol. 5; A Field Guide to the Birds of China (Mackinnon and Phillipps); 100 Common Birds of Taiwan (Wild Bird Society of Taipei)