Since 2015
Habitat and Distribution
Distribution and Principal Habitat:
Indian Ocean through South Asia and Southeast Asia to islands across the Pacific.
They are especially common in coastal and inland regions of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Myanmar, where they inhabit environments suited to nesting, feeding, and seasonal movement.
Among these regions, Indonesia is generally regarded as the most important center of distribution. Large populations are also found in Malaysian Borneo, particularly in the Sabah region, which serves as one of the key habitats for swiftlet species associated with edible bird’s nest production.
Taxonomic Classification and Echolocation:
Swiftlets are classified on the basis of several biological characteristics, including morphology, nest structure, feeding behavior, and their remarkable ability to navigate in darkness using echolocation.
Echolocation is a sensory system in which sound reflections are used to detect surrounding space and obstacles. This allows swiftlets to move safely and efficiently through dark environments such as caves and enclosed nesting sites.
This ability is one of the defining biological features of swiftlets and plays an important role in understanding both their ecology and their habitat selection.
