Subspecies
Genus Tachymarptis has commonly been merged into Apus, but nowadays increasingly separated. Subspeceis of Mali birds not yet established, but their isolation from other breeding populations suggests it could be an undescribed subspecies.
Proposed subspecies striatus from Mt Kenya is synonym of africanus. Subspecies name dorabtatai often misspelt dorobtatai.
The following 10 subspecies are recognised:
melba (Linnaeus, 1758) - Southern Europe through Asia Minor to north-western Iran. Winters in western and eastern Africa.
tuneti (Tschusi, 1904) - Central and eastern Morocco through Middle East and Iran (except north-west) to south-eastern Kazakhstan and western Pakistan. Winters in western and eastern Africa.
archeri (Hartert, 1928) - Somalia, south-western Arabia north to Dead Sea depression.
maximus (Ogilvie-Grant, 1907) - Mt Ruwenzori (Uganda/Zaire).
africanus (Temminck, 1815) - Eastern and southern Africa and south-western Angola; southern birds winter in eastern Africa.
marjoriae (Bradfield, 1935) - Namibia to north-western Cape (South Africa).
willsi (Hartert, 1896) - Madagascar.
nubifugus (Koelz, 1954) - Himalayas. Winters in central India.
dorabtatai (Abdulali, 1965) - Western peninsular India.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet