Crested Treeswift

The crested treeswift is a large, slender bird about 23cm long, dove-grey above and white below, with long, swept-back wings, a crest and a long, deeply forked tail that usually looks narrow and pointed. The adult male has orange cheeks and ear coverts; the female has grey cheeks with a thin white line below the eye. It was once lumped with the grey-rumped treeswift, but the two do not interbreed where they meet. Its call is a harsh kee-kyew or a three-note kip-kee-kep (Wikipedia, general species account).

Small groups fly in wide circles over open forest and perch very upright on tall, leafless trees. The tiny, shallow nest of bark and feathers is glued with saliva to the side of an exposed branch, and the single blue-grey egg is incubated by both sexes; the sitting bird looks as if it is simply perched on a knot. The nestlings are cryptic grey and freeze when threatened. In India it is resident with a large range; SoIB 2023 estimates a long-term decline of about 73% and rates it a Moderate conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).