Plume-toed Swiftlet
Collocalia affinis
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderApodiformes (Swifts and Hummingbirds)
- FamilyApodidae (Swifts)
- GenusCollocalia (White-bellied Swiftlets)
- SpeciesCollocalia affinis (Plume-toed Swiftlet)
About the Plume-toed Swiftlet
The plume-toed swiftlet (Collocalia affinis) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is found on some eastern Indian Ocean islands, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and lowland Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was previously considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
The plume-toed swiftlet was described by the English ornithologist Robert Cecil Beavan in 1867 and given current binomial name Collocalia affinis. The type locality is Port Blair in the Andaman Islands. The specific epithet affinis is Latin for "related" or "applied". The plume-toed swiftlet was previously treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet but was promoted to species status based on the results of a detailed analysis of the swiftlets in the genus Collocalia published in 2017.
There are five subspecies: C. a. affinis Beavan, 1867 – Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean C. a. elachyptera Oberholser, 1906 – Mergui Archipelago off the west coast of southern Myanmar C. a. vanderbilti Rodolphe Meyer de Schauensee & Ripley, 1940 – Nias Island off the west coast of Sumatra
C. a. oberholseri Stresemann, 1912 – Batu and Mentawai... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Plume-toed Swiftlet in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary
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Aerodramus fuciphagus
Black-nest Swiftlet
Aerodramus maximus
Mossy-nest Swiftlet
Aerodramus salangana
Silver-rumped Needletail
Rhaphidura leucopygialis
Brown-backed Needletail
Hirundapus giganteus
Asian Palm-Swift
Cypsiurus balasiensis
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Apus nipalensis
Pacific Swift
Apus pacificus
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Hemiprocne longipennis
Whiskered Treeswift
Hemiprocne comata
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Way Kambas National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 2 | Kinabalu Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 3 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 4 | Kerinci Seblat National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 5 | Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 6 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 7 | Bako National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 8 | Gunung Leuser National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 9 | Taman Negara National Park | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 10 | Khao Luang National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 11 | Khao Sok National Park | 🇹🇭 Thailand | |
| 12 | Tanjung Puting National Park | 🇮🇩 Indonesia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Plume-toed Swiftlet in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Plume-toed Swiftlet sighting in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, based on 1,120 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Plume-toed Swiftlet in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary?
March has the highest sighting rate for Plume-toed Swiftlet in Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in our monthly data.