Moustached Treeswift

Hemiprocne mystacea

Moustached Treeswifts are not actually true Swifts, but they are close relatives. There are actually just four species of Treeswift in the world, and they all belong to the same genus and live in Southeast Asia.

Today's animal is another critter that I chose entirely for it looks. It has a mustache made of feathers! Very cute!

The Moustached Treeswifts don't seem to be too picky about the habitats that they live in. Lowland forests, mountainous forests, and even swampy forests will all work nicely for these guys, who are found in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands.

Insects are the preferred diet for these Treeswifts, and they are able to maneuver very easily through the forests in order to find their prey. Males and females form monogamous pairs during the breeding season, and lay only one eggs at a time, which incubates in nest that is attached to a tree branch. The parents will feed their chick regurgitated insects until it is old enough to fledge and hunt on its own.

Moustached Swifts are common throughout their range, and are listed as being of Least Concern. Unfortunately I had to use an illustration for their visual, since the photographs didn't do justice to their mustaches...

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IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Papua New Guinea, Indonesia
Size : Length up to 10in (25cm)

Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Apodiformes
Family : Hemiprocnidae -- Genus : Hemiprocne -- Species : H. mystacea