The mottled swift (Tachymarptis aequatorialis) is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is one of two species in the genus Tachymarptis together with the alpine swift (T. melba).[2] It occurs widely in eastern Africa and locally in western Africa.[2] It is found in Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.[1]
| Mottled swift | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Tachymarptis |
| Species: | T. aequatorialis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tachymarptis aequatorialis (von Müller, 1851)
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| Synonyms | |
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Apus aequatorialis | |
Jali Makawa noted that the Alomwe people hunted these swifts by swirling long bamboo poles above them to swat the swifts down. Makawa and C.W. Benson tasted these birds and found them palatable.[3]
References edit
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2017). "Tachymarptis aequatorialis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22686788A111670750. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22686788A111670750.en. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ a b Chantler, Phil & Gerald Driessens (2000) Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World, 2nd ed., Pica Press, East Sussex.
- ^ Benson, C. W. (1952). "Notes from Nyasaland (preliminary to publication of a check-list)". Ostrich. 23 (3): 144–159. doi:10.1080/00306525.1952.9633793. ISSN 0030-6525.
External links edit
- Mottled swift - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
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