Retired Teacher

Treeswifts are a family of birds closely related to the true swifts.  Unlike true swifts, they have a non reversible hind toe, which is used for perching on branches.  (True swifts cannot perch.)  Other differences from true swifts include softer plumage, crests or facial ornaments and long forked tails. Like true swifts, they feed on insects, although exact details of the prey taken is unknown. Ttreeswifts often forage in the air in the company of swallows and swiftlets.  They can also wait patiently perched on an exposed branch to hunt by sallying. Perched treeswifts have a very recognisable silhouette; the wing tips cross over the tail.   The gray-rumped treeswift is found in from Thailand to Indonesia and, due to its extensive range, is listed as an IUCN ‘least concern’ species.   However information about the population trend is limited.    Whereas the other   treeswift species are adapted to a particular type of forest, grey-rumped treeswifts   make use of many different forests