The cave swiftlet was described by the naturalists Thomas Horsfield and Frederic Moore in 1854 under the present binomial name Collocalia linchi.

[4] There are four recognised subspecies:[5] This bird is shiny blackish-brown above with a greenish gloss, including its rump; sometimes looks black and hooded.

Tail black, rounded with shallow notch but lacking the white specks found in the very similar glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta).

Evidence of it occurring in Malaysia rests on a single specimen in the British Museum labelled "Molacca".

It breeds in the lighter parts of caves, building a nest of stringy vegetation and cementing the materials to the rock with saliva.