The treeswifts (family Hemiprocnidae) is a family of birds belonging to the order Apodiformes. Superficially similar to the related and widespread swifts, also being avid fliers and catching insects on flight, but they usually perch upright in trees and wigs and nest on small twigs, attaching a single egg to the branch in a diminutive nest. All species show long forked tails and ornaments in the face, either as whiskers, colored cheeks or crests.
The family comprises 4 species in the genus Hemiprocne, all found throughout tropical forests, three of which from the Indian Subcontinent across the Indomalayan part of the Indonesian archipelago, and the fourth distributed on the other side of the Wallace’s line from the Moluccas to the Solomon Islands..
Male in Bandipur National Reserve, Karnataka, India, 2 Jan 2025
Crested treeswift
Hemiprocne coronata
Large treeswift of a variety of wooden habitats in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including parks and gardens. Besides a characteristic crest, males show a large chestnut ear coverts that make them look like having red cheeks. I have observed this species flying over open forest in Karnataka, India.
Singapore Botanic Gardens, Singapore, 8 Jul 2024
Gray-rumped treeswift
Hemiprocne longipennis
Well distributed in forested areas of Sundaland from the Malay Peninsula to Java and Sulawesi. Despite sporting a crest and males showing a small reddish patch in the ear coverts, this is the least ornamented member of the family. I have seen it in gardens of Singapore and Borneo.
