Australian Swiftlet

About the Australian Swiftlet

The Australian swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae) is a small bird belonging to the genus Aerodramus in the swift family, Apodidae. It is endemic to Queensland in north-eastern Australia. It was formerly included in the white-rumped swiftlet (Aerodramus spodiopygius) but is now commonly treated as a separate species. It has two subspecies which are occasionally regarded as two separate species: A. t. terraereginae and A. t. chillagoensis (Chillagoe swiftlet).

It is 11–12 centimetres (4.3–4.7 in) long with a wing length of 107–118.2 millimetres (4.21–4.65 in) and a weight of 10.5–12.5 grams (0.37–0.44 oz). The upperparts are dark grey-brown while the underparts are a uniform greyish. There are pale feathers on the forehead and lores. The rump is normally pale greyish but can occasionally be darker. The tail is slightly forked. The form chillagoensis is smaller and paler with a weight of around 9.39 grams (0.33 oz).

It has a high-pitched flight call. In its breeding caves, it utters a metallic clicking call, used for echolocation. A. t. terraereginae occurs in tropical north-east Queensland from the Claudie River on the Cape York Peninsula south as... Wikipedia →