Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus)
Order: APODIFORMES
Family: APODIDAE Swifts
Scientific name: Apus pacificus
English name: Pacific Swift
Characteristic: "Size 25 cm. A medium-sized all black bird with white wing patches , lower tail coverts and tail tip; a conspicuous black crest at its forehead, bringht yellow bill and legs."
Distribution: "India , Bangladesh, southern China in the Provinces of Yunnan and Kwang Si, Myanmar and Thailand. In this country, it ocurs everywhere except in the south from Prachuap Khiri Khan Province southwards."
Habitat: "Open forest , clearings near water bodies , more in suburban area, in crop fields and paddy fields than in towns and villages. In Sakaerat forest, this myna keeps to grass fields in dry dipterocarp forest."
Habit: "Rather tame, and quite familiar with human; seen walking on the ground and the lawns, mostly in flocks of 10-30 birds. Its favourite foods consist of worms, insects,earthworms that hiding among grasses , tussocks and in earthen cracks, notably the grasshoppers; additionnally it will devour rice grain, plant seeds, fallen fruits and sip nectar from flowers, in nightfall, a hugh concentration of them will occupy at specific roosting site deafening the air with their loud chattering for roosts. often observed to perch on the cattle`s backs, waiting for comings of its preys of annoying insects. Breeding starts from February to July; a nest is built in a tree cavity and a clutch of 2-6 blue eggs will be deposited. the incubation period is about 20 days."
Status: A common resident.Also protected as a protected wild naimal.
