biology

Giant swiftlet

Giant swiftlet is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Giant swiftlet rather than just read about it. In short: The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous.

Key takeaways

Giant swiftlet belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Giant swiftlet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Giant swiftlet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous. It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers. It may be threatened by habitat loss. The giant swiftlet has the largest average wingspan of all the swiftlets, at 150 millimeters. It is a fairly large swift that can grow to 16 cm in length. The female weighs 35 to 39 grams, and the male around 37 grams. Unlike other swiftlets, it builds its nest on a flat horizontal surface instead of molding it against a vertical surface with saliva. It is not totally nocturnal, lacking the echolocation seen in some other swiftlets, but is still able to orientate visually in dim light.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Giant swiftlet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Giant swiftlet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Giant swiftlet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Giant swiftlet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Giant swiftlet

In research: Giant swiftlet appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Giant swiftlet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Giant swiftlet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Apodidae, Apodiformes stubs, Birds described in 1901, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Giant swiftlet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Giant swiftlet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Giant swiftlet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Giant swiftlet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Giant swiftlet in simple terms?

The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous.

Why does Giant swiftlet matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Giant swiftlet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Giant swiftlet.