Himalayan Swiftlet (Aerodramus brevirostris)
Bird Ecology Study Group » Himalayan Swiftlet: 1. Sighting
The occurrence of Himalayan Swiftlet in Singapore has been mired in controversy since the 1990s when
R. Subaraj
, among others, first reported it as an uncommon passage migrant (Wang & Hails 2007). Unfortunately these observations were not authenticated with notes and thus not included in the latest Annotated Checklist of the Birds of Singapore.
Now, KC has provided hard evidence in the form of an image. He posted his image in BirdForum.Net and got a response from
Sean
in Hiroshima, Japan, who noted:
“…think there are four possible swiftlet species in Singapore. …Two are resident - Black-nest and Germain’s while two are migrants - Glossy and Himalayan.
“I have only seen three of the species, Black-nest, Germain’s and Himalayan, but Himalayan seems right to me for the following reasons.
“Glossy can be ruled out, as it is very small, has dark throat that contrasts with white belly and a slightly forked tail. Black-nest is darker underneath and has no notch in the tail. It also has a pale rump band, though this cannot be seen in the picture. Germain’s is possible as it is light underneath on throat and belly, but as it only has a shallow forked tail this seems unlikely. This species has a very obvious wide white rump, though again this is not viewable in the picture.
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