Giant swiftlet
| Giant swiftlet | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Hydrochous Brooke, 1970 |
| Species: | H. gigas |
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrochous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hydrochrous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901) [orthographic error] | |
The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous.[2] It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers. It may be threatened by habitat loss.[1]
The giant swiftlet has the largest average wingspan of all the swiftlets, at 150 millimeters.[3] It is a fairly large swift that can grow to 16 cm in length. The female weighs 35 to 39 grams, and the male around 37 grams.[4] Unlike other swiftlets, it builds its nest on a flat horizontal surface instead of molding it against a vertical surface with saliva.[5]
It is not totally nocturnal, lacking the echolocation seen in some other swiftlets, but is still able to orientate visually in dim light.[6]
References
[edit]- 1 2 BirdLife International (2025). "Hydrochous gigas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2025 e.T22686485A256210245. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T22686485A256210245.en.
- ↑ "ITIS Report: Hydrochous". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ Somadikarta, Soekarja (October 1968). "The giant swiftlet, Collocalia gigas, Hartert and Butler" (PDF). Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ↑ "Waterfall Swift (Hydrochous gigas)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- ↑ Lee, Patricia L.M.; Clayton, Dale H.; Griffiths, Richard; Page, Roderic D.M. (1996-07-09). "Does behavior reflect phylogeny in swiftlets (Aves: Apodidae)? A test using cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequences". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 93 (14): 7091–7096. Bibcode:1996PNAS...93.7091L. doi:10.1073/pnas.93.14.7091. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 38941. PMID 8692950.
- ↑ Medway, Lord; Wells, D. R. (1969-10-01). "Dark Orientation by the Giant Swiftlet Collocalia Gigas". Ibis. 111 (4): 609–611. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1969.tb02570.x. ISSN 1474-919X.
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