Christmas Island swiftlet facts for kids

The Christmas Island swiftlet (Collocalia natalis) is a small bird. It is also known as the Christmas glossy swiftlet or the Christmas cave swiftlet. This bird is part of the swift family, called Apodidae. It lives only on Christmas Island, an Australian territory. This island is found in the eastern Indian Ocean. People used to think it was a type of glossy swiftlet.

What is a Christmas Island Swiftlet?

The Christmas Island swiftlet is a small bird, about 9 to 11 centimeters long. That's about the length of your hand! It is mostly shiny blue-black or green-black on its back. Its belly and the area under its tail are white, which stands out against its dark grey underside.

Where Do They Live?

This swiftlet lives only on Christmas Island. The island is about 135 square kilometers in size. You can often see many swiftlets flying above the tropical rainforest that covers most of the island. They also fly over other land areas there.

These birds build their nests mainly in caves. These caves are found in the limestone cliffs around the island.

How Do They Behave?

Building Nests and Raising Young

Christmas Island swiftlets build their nests deep inside caves. It is almost completely dark in these places. They make a small, cup-shaped nest for their eggs. They usually lay two eggs.

The nests are built high up on the cave wall. Often, a stalactite (a rock formation hanging from the cave ceiling) helps to shelter the nest. The swiftlets use dried palm fibers and a plant called lichen to build their nests. They use their own saliva to stick the nest to the cave wall.

What Do They Eat?

These swiftlets catch their food while flying. They eat flying ants and other small insects.

Protecting the Christmas Island Swiftlet

Experts have been worried about the Christmas Island swiftlet. They are concerned because of yellow crazy ants. These ants were brought to the island by accident.

The ants can cause big changes to the island's environment. This could affect the swiftlets. Sometimes, swiftlets build nests in hollow trees. These nests can be attacked by the ants. However, the ants do not go into the limestone caves. These caves are the main places where the swiftlets build their nests. So, the ants are not likely to directly harm the swiftlets in their main homes.

In 2006, there was an effort to list the swiftlet as a threatened species. This would have given it more protection. However, this effort was not successful.