The Tahiti swallow (Hirundo tahitica) is a small passerine bird in the swallow family Hirundinidae. It is found on the islands of Moorea and Tahiti in French Polynesia. It was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Pacific swallow.
| Tahiti swallow | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Hirundinidae |
| Genus: | Hirundo |
| Species: | H. tahitica
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| Binomial name | |
| Hirundo tahitica Gmelin, 1789
| |
Taxonomy
editThe Tahiti swallow was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the swallows in the genus Hirundo and coined the binomial name Hirundo tahitica.[2] Gmelin based his entry on the "Otaheite swallow" that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds.[3] The Tahiti swallow was formerly treated as conspecific with the Pacific swallow (Hirundo javanica). The species were split based on the differences in morphology. The Tahiti swallow is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.[4]
Description
editThis species is a small swallow at 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. It has a blue-black back and crown with browner wings and tail, a red face and throat, and dusky underparts. It differs from the barn swallow and the closely related welcome swallow in its shorter and less forked tail.[5][6] Tahiti Swallows also fly with their legs out in the open. Leg exposure is more common around midday and helps regulate body temperature by allowing heat to disperse. [7]
Behaviour
editThe Tahiti swallow builds a neat cup-shaped nest, constructed with mud pellets collected in the beak, under a cliff ledge or on man-made structures such as a building, bridge or tunnel. The nest is lined with softer material, and the clutch is two to three eggs. It is similar in behaviour to other aerial insectivores, such as other swallows and the unrelated swifts. It is a fast flyer and feeds on insects, especially flies, while airborne.[5] Tahiti Swallows behavior is a response to the warm tropical climate in which they reside. This reduces the physiological stress that comes with flying. [8]
References
edit- ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Hirundo tahitica". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T104006414A112879446. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T104006414A112879446.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Gmelin, Johann Friedrich (1789). Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1, Part 2 (13th ed.). Lipsiae [Leipzig]: Georg. Emanuel. Beer. p. 1016.
- ^ Latham, John (1783). A General Synopsis of Birds. Vol. 2, Part 2. London: Printed for Leigh and Sotheby. pp. 563–564, No. 2, depicted on Frontispiece.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Swallows". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
- ^ a b Turner, Angela K; Rose, Chris (1989). Swallows & Martins: An Identification Guide and Handbook. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-51174-7.
- ^ Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim (2002). Pocket Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-7136-6304-9.
- ^ ECOLOGY and EVOLUTION, 9, 5. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4946 BRYANT, D. (1983). HEAT-STRESS IN TROPICAL BIRDS - BEHAVIORAL THERMOREGULATION DURING FLIGHT. IBIS, 125, 3. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1474-919X.1983.tb03117.x
- ^ Arai, E., Hasegawa, M., Sato, M., Sakai, H., Ito, S., & Wakamatsu, K. (2019). Eumelanin levels in rufous feathers explain plasma testosterone levels and survival in swallows.
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- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hasegawa, M., Arai, E., & Kato, T. (2024). Reduced ornamentation became elaborated in benign environments in Pacific Swallows. JOURNAL of ORNITHOLOGY, 165, 4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-024-02166-z