Mariana Swiftlet

Aerodramus bartschi

A tiny, all-dark swift. Flight is fast, fluttery, and batlike. Usually observed flying continuously along ridges or over the forest canopy. Native to the Mariana Islands; introduced to Hawaii from Guam in the 1960s. In Hawaii, occurs only in the mountains of Central Oahu, seen primarily in Halawa Valley and the adjacent Aiea Loop Trail.

识别特征

The swiftlet is about 11 centimetres (4.3 in) in length with a dark grey-brown head and upperparts. Its throat and upper breast are grey-white with the rest of the underparts darker grey. The tail has a shallow fork and the plumage lacks gloss.

分类信息

It was formerly lumped with the island swiftlet (Aerodramus inquietus).

学名
Aerodramus bartschi
命名信息
(Mearns, 1909)
Apodiformes
Apodidae
Aerodramus

分布与栖息地

The swiftlet is found in Guam as well as in Saipan and Aguiguan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and is locally extinct on Rota and Tinian. It was also introduced successfully to Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1960s, though the population there remains small. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, mangrove forest and grassland.

迁徙
Resident species

行为

In its natural range the swiftlet builds shallow nests high on the interior walls and ceilings of limestone caves, including sites in zones of complete darkness, in colonies of a few to several hundred birds. A single egg constitutes a clutch, but the birds may breed more than once a year. The swiftlets utter twittering and chirping sounds as well as the echolocation clicks used to navigate inside the nesting and roosting caves. Most birds in a colony leave their cave at dawn to forage, returning at sunset to roost. They are aerial feeders that capture small insects in flight over forest and other vegetation.

保护状况

The Mariana swiftlet is considered to be Vulnerable after being listed as an Endangered in 2016. The population on Guam declined because of predation by brown tree snakes and the use of agricultural pesticides, though it is believed to have subsequently increased to an estimated 900 individuals in 2006. The population on Saipan was estimated in 2005 to consist of about 5400 individuals, though this population is at risk if the brown tree snake becomes established on the island. The estimated size of the Aguiguan population is about 400. The single known breeding colony on Oahu was estimated in 1997 to contain a minimum of 17 breeding pairs. Proposed conservation measures include continued population monitoring and limiting cave disturbance, the prevention of the establishment of brown tree snakes in the Northern Marianas Islands, control of introduced mud dauber wasps and cockroaches where they damage nests, and the reintroduction of birds to Rota whence they were extirpated in the 1970s.

种群趋势
declining

照片

分布

其他鸟类

Principe Golden-Weaver

Principe Golden-Weaver

Ploceus princeps

The only weaver on Príncipe, where it is endemic. Typically yellowish with an olive back: male has a golden-orange wash to the head, while female has a plainer face and a white belly. Juvenile is like the female, but duller. Found in pairs and small groups; abundant in almost all habitats on the island. Song is an accelerated fizzling concluding with a wheeze: “pssht-pssht-pshhtt-dzrrt-dzrrt-dzt-dzt-dzr-dzr-dzr-dzr-dzr.” 

Brown Booby

Brown Booby

Sula leucogaster

Large seabird of inshore and offshore waters in tropical regions of the Atlantic, Indian, and western Pacific Oceans. Head, neck, and upperparts are solidly brown. Adult has a well-demarcated white belly and immature has a variably mottled brown belly that rarely looks solidly brown. Compare with other boobies and with juvenile Northern Gannet. Often seen from beaches, sometimes just beyond the breakers. Breeds in colonies on offshore islands, nesting on the ground. Recently showing up more regularly as a vagrant on inland lakes and reservoirs in the U.S. and Canada, and further north along the Atlantic coast. Similar to recently split Cocos Booby, but usually separated by range, and never shows a whitish head.

Tuamotu Reed Warbler

Tuamotu Reed Warbler

Acrocephalus atyphus

A medium-sized, slender reed warbler with a strong eyebrow and a dark eye-stripe. Rufous morph is rusty brown above and pale below with a cinnamon wash. Gray morph is cold pale gray above and gray-buff below. Found in woodland and open brush, sometimes in gardens and plantations. Call is a low, harsh “chru,” often followed by a short whistled song.

开始您的观鸟之旅

在户外识别鸟类,并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。