Mottled Swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis)

Other Scientific Names
Apus aequatorialis [Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993)]

Family
Apodidae (Swifts)

Size
21 cm

First Described (Guide)
(von M�ller, 1851)

Range (Guide)

Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], C�te dIvoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to Burundi, Togo.

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (1)...)

Mottled Swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis) [XC811264]
by Bram Piot from Hells Gate National Park (near Sulmac Village), Naivasha, Nakuru County, Kenya (flight call)

Mottled Swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis) [XC333261]
by id from Plateau NE of Coyah, Guinea (call)

Subspecies
Genus Tachymarptis has commonly been merged into Apus, but nowadays increasingly separated; differs in feather lice, foot structure of nestling, large size and tendency towards white underparts. It has been suggested that resemblance to Bradfield's Swift (Apus bradfieldi) may be more than superficial, hinting at closer alliance between these forms, which were formerly considered conspecific.

Subspecies proposed for birds from western slope Mt Ruwenzori (schubotzi) and north-western Cameroon (bamendae) not distinct from nominate subspecies and included within it. Includes "Apus reichenowi".

The following 5 subspecies are recognised:

lowei (Bannerman, 1920) - Sierra Leone to Nigeria.
furensis (Lynes, 1920) - Darfur (western Sudan).
aequatorialis (von M�ller, 1851) - Eritrea and Ethiopia south to Mozambique and eastern Zimbabwe. Also west-central Angola and north-western Cameroon (Bamenda).
gelidus (Brooke, 1967) - South-western Zimbabwe.
bamendae (Serle, 1949) - North-western Cameroon.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Mottled Swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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