Mountain Swiftlet
Encyclopedia
The Mountain Swiftlet is a species of swift
in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea
and the nearby islands of Karkar, Yapen
and Goodenough
. It was once placed in the genus Collocalia
but has been moved, with many others, to Aerodramus. The species is divided into three subspecies, with the nominate, A. h. hirundinacea ranging over most of New Guinea, the subspecies A. h. excelsus occurring over 1600 m in the Snow Mountains and Cartenz peaks of Irian Jaya and A. h. baru being restricted to Yapen Island. It occurs in alpine areas from 500 m to the treeline. Its natural habitat
is tropical moist montane
forests and other mountainous habitats in New Guinea. It also occurs in lower numbers in the lowlands near hills.
The Mountain Swiftlet is a medium sized swiftlet, 11-13 cm long. It has dark brown upperpart
s and paler grey undersides. The tail is slightly forked. The subspecies vary slightly from the nominate race, A. h. baru has browner underparts and darker upperparts, while A. h. excelsus is larger than the nominate race. Like other members of the genus this species is able to echolocate
, a trait it uses to navigate itself in the caves it breeds in.
Like the rest of its genus it breeds in caves, constructing nests
of vegetation such as ferns, rootlets and grasses, or lichen
s, held together with saliva
. They are colonial
, but the caves examined so far do not suggest that they nest densely. The peak of the breeding season is October through to December, but there are occupied nests through most of the year. The clutch
size is a single egg for this species. The nestling period, between 57-74 days, is one of the longer chick raising periods of any swifts. This is counteracted by a comparatively high breeding success rate, with 61% of Mountain Swiftlets successfully raising chicks.
Swift
The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are actually not closely related to passerine species at all; swifts are in the separate order Apodiformes, which they share with hummingbirds...
in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and the nearby islands of Karkar, Yapen
Yapen
Yapen is an island of western New Guinea, Indonesia. The Yapen Strait separates Yapen and the Biak Islands to the north. It is in Cenderawasih Bay. To the west is Mios Num Strait between it and Mios Num Island, and the east Kurudu Island. The southeast are the Amboi Islands and the southwest...
and Goodenough
Goodenough Island
Goodenough Island in the Solomon Sea is the westernmost of the three large islands of the D'Entrecasteaux Islands in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. It lies to the east of mainland New Guinea and south west of the Trobriand Islands.It should not be confused with Goodenough's Island...
. It was once placed in the genus Collocalia
Collocalia
Collocalia is a genus of swifts, containing some of the smaller species termed "swiftlets". Formerly a catch-all genus for these, a number of its erstwhile members are now normally placed in Aerodramus....
but has been moved, with many others, to Aerodramus. The species is divided into three subspecies, with the nominate, A. h. hirundinacea ranging over most of New Guinea, the subspecies A. h. excelsus occurring over 1600 m in the Snow Mountains and Cartenz peaks of Irian Jaya and A. h. baru being restricted to Yapen Island. It occurs in alpine areas from 500 m to the treeline. Its natural habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
is tropical moist montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
forests and other mountainous habitats in New Guinea. It also occurs in lower numbers in the lowlands near hills.
The Mountain Swiftlet is a medium sized swiftlet, 11-13 cm long. It has dark brown upperpart
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
s and paler grey undersides. The tail is slightly forked. The subspecies vary slightly from the nominate race, A. h. baru has browner underparts and darker upperparts, while A. h. excelsus is larger than the nominate race. Like other members of the genus this species is able to echolocate
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
, a trait it uses to navigate itself in the caves it breeds in.
Like the rest of its genus it breeds in caves, constructing nests
Bird nest
A bird nest is the spot in which a bird lays and incubates its eggs and raises its young. Although the term popularly refers to a specific structure made by the bird itself—such as the grassy cup nest of the American Robin or Eurasian Blackbird, or the elaborately woven hanging nest of the...
of vegetation such as ferns, rootlets and grasses, or lichen
Lichen
Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
s, held together with saliva
Saliva
Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...
. They are colonial
Bird colony
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...
, but the caves examined so far do not suggest that they nest densely. The peak of the breeding season is October through to December, but there are occupied nests through most of the year. The clutch
Clutch (eggs)
A clutch of eggs refers to all the eggs produced by birds or reptiles, often at a single time, particularly those laid in a nest.In birds, destruction of a clutch by predators, , results in double-clutching...
size is a single egg for this species. The nestling period, between 57-74 days, is one of the longer chick raising periods of any swifts. This is counteracted by a comparatively high breeding success rate, with 61% of Mountain Swiftlets successfully raising chicks.