| Giant swiftlet | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Hydrochous Brooke, 1970 |
| Species: | H. gigas |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrochous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901) | |
| Synonyms | |
Hydrochrous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901) [orthographic error] | |
The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous. [2] It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss. [1]
The giant swiftlet has the largest average wingspan of all the swiftlets, at 150 millimeters. [3] It is a fairly large swift that can grow to 16 cm in length. The female weighs 35 to 39 grams, and the male around 37 grams. [4] Unlike other swiftlets, it builds its nest on a flat horizontal surface instead of molding it against a vertical surface with saliva. [5]
It is not totally nocturnal, lacking the echolocation seen in some other swiftlets, but is still able to orientate visually in dim light. [6]
