The Atiu swiftlet or Sawtell's Swiftlet (Aerodramus sawtelli) is a species of bird in the swift family, endemic to Atiu in the Cook Islands.

Atiu swiftlet
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Clade: Strisores
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae
Genus: Aerodramus
Species:
A. sawtelli
Binomial name
Aerodramus sawtelli
(Holyoak, 1974)
Synonyms

Collocalia sawtelli

This small, dark swift measures 10 cm (3.9 in) long. It is sooty-brown above, slightly lighter below.[2]

Its natural habitats are the island's fernlands and mixed horticultural areas over which it feeds, and in makatea limestone caves within which it nests.[2] The species is known on Atiu as kopeka.

Unlike all other swiftlets, it echolocates only through single clicks, rather than a mix of single- and double clicks.[3]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2020). "Aerodramus sawtelli". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2020: e.T22686581A180897346. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T22686581A180897346.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b BirdLife species factsheet for Aerodramus sawtelli
  3. ^ Brinkløv, Signe M. M.; Jakobsen, Lasse; Miller, Lee A. (2022), "Echolocation in Bats, Odontocetes, Birds, and Insectivores", Exploring Animal Behavior Through Sound: Volume 1, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 419–457, ISBN 978-3-030-97538-8, retrieved 2023-09-09
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