This small swiftlet occurs in Melanesia and Polynesia and uses moist forests and caves.
Adults are about 11 cm long and weigh about 11 g.
It uses humid tropical and montane forest and rocky slopes, breeding in caves. In Samoa, clutches usually held one white egg.
Nests examined in Samoa in 1994–1997 used moss, vines, ferns and other plants bound with saliva, mostly on cave ledges. Plant composition varied by site, and small amounts of feathers were often included.
In that Samoan study, eggs occurred in every month of the year. New nest building and repairs to old nests were also recorded in all months.
Hatchlings in Samoa were naked and developed no down before their adult-type feathers emerged.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.