Malay sailor
| Malay sailor | ||||||||||
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Malay Swift ( Apus nipalensis ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||
| Apus nipalensis | ||||||||||
| ( Hodgson , 1836) |
The Malay Swift ( Apus nipalensis ) is a species of bird in the genus Apus in the sailor family . It has long been - and is still considered by some authors today - as a subspecies of the very similar house sailor .
It is confusing that the most common English name for the Malay sailor is House Swift and thus corresponds to the German name for the house sailor ( Apus affinis ). The Malay sailor is also sometimes referred to as a house sailor in German.
description
The Malay swift has a body length of 15 centimeters and is therefore slightly larger than the house swift. Both sexes look the same. The Malay Swift can be clearly identified in its area of distribution by the white rump and the slightly forked tail, but the tail fork is hardly recognizable when the tail is completely fanned out.
The plumage is predominantly black-brown and very dark, especially the tail feathers. The large, round, white throat patch and the white rump stand out clearly. Young birds can be recognized by their more frayed wing feathers.
The voice is very similar to the house sailor , like this the Malay sailor is very happy to call.
Spreading and migrations
The distribution area of the Malay Swift is in Southeast Asia , mainly east of that of the House Swift . The northwestern extension lies in the Himalayas from Nepal eastwards to Assam , south to Bangladesh and the Indian states of Mizoram , Manipur and Nagaland . From there, the northern limit of the distribution area continues into southeast China . The Malaysian sailor can also be found in Japan south of the 36th parallel.
Further south, the Malay sailor occurs in Burma , Thailand , Laos , Vietnam , Cambodia , East Timor and Malaysia . It is also widespread on the islands of Southeast Asia such as Sumatra , Java , Bali , Borneo and the northern Philippines . Malay sailors have also been observed in northern Australia .
In all parts of the distribution area the Malay sailor is a resident bird . It is assumed that parts of the northern populations also show migration behavior, but this has not yet been investigated in more detail.
habitat
The habitat corresponds to that of the house swift , even if the tendency towards colony formation is somewhat lower. Like the house swift, the Malay swift primarily breeds near humans. It is found from the lowlands to altitudes of 2100 meters in Nepal.
literature
- Phil Chantler, Gerald Driesses: A Guide to the Swifts and Tree Swifts of the World . Pica Press, Mountfield 2000, ISBN 1-873403-83-6
Web links
- Apus nipalensis in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: BirdLife International, 2008. Accessed on 12 November, 2008.