The Moluccan swiftlet ('' Aerodramus infuscatus'') is a small bird in the swift family

Apodidae The Apodidae, or swifts, form a family of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes along with hummingbirds. The treeswifts ar ...

that is found on

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

and on the

Maluku Islands The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...

in Indonesia. Two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

, the Sulawesi swiftlet and the Seram swiftlet, have sometimes been considered as separate species.

Taxonomy

The Moluccan swiftlet was

formally described A species description is a formal scientific description of a newly encountered species, typically articulated through a scientific publication. Its purpose is to provide a clear description of a new species of organism and explain how it differ ...

in 1880 by the Italian zoologist

Tommaso Salvadori Count Adelardo Tommaso Salvadori Paleotti (30 September 1835 – 9 October 1923) was an Italian zoologist and ornithologist. Biography Salvadori was born in Porto San Giorgio, son of Count Luigi Salvadori and Ethelyn Welby, who was English. His ...

under the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

''Collocalia infuscata'' based on a specimen collected on the island of

Ternate Ternate (), also known as the City of Ternate (; ), is the List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city with the largest population in the province of North Maluku and an island in the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. It was the ''de facto'' provi ...

in the

. The specific epithet ''infuscata'' is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

meaning "dusky" from ''infuscare'' meaning "to make dark". The Moluccan swiftlet is now one of 25 swiflets placed in the genus ''

Aerodramus ''Aerodramus'' is a genus of small, dark, cave-nesting birds in the swiftlet, Collocaliini tribe (biology), tribe of the Swift (bird), swift family. Its members are confined to tropical and subtropical regions in southern Asia, Oceania and north ...

'' that was introduced in 1906 by the American ornithologist Harry C. Oberholser. Three

are recognised: * ''A. i. infuscatus'' ( Salvadori, 1880) –

Sangihe Islands The Sangihe Islands (also spelled "Sangir", "Sanghir" or "Sangi") – – are a group of islands that constitute two regencies within the province of North Sulawesi, in northern Indonesia, the Sangihe Islands Regency. The word Sangihe ...

and

Siau Island Siau is an island in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, located in the Sangir Archipelago approximately off the northern tip of Sulawesi in the Celebes Sea. Covering a land area of 160 km2, it is the main island of the Sitaro Islands Regency of North Su ...

(north of northeast

) and north

Moluccas The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West Melanesi ...

* ''A. i. sororum'' (

Stresemann Stresemann is a German family name which may refer to: * Christina Stresemann (born 1957), German judge; daughter of Wolfgang Stresemann * Erwin Stresemann (1889 – 1972), German ornithologist * Gustav Stresemann Gustav Ernst Stresemann (; 10 ...

, 1931) – central, south, southeast

and satellites (Sulawesi swiftlet) * ''A. i. ceramensis'' ( van Oort, 1911) –

Buru Buru (formerly spelled Boeroe, Boro, or Bouru) is the third largest island within the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon Island, Ambon and Seram Island, Seram island ...

and

Seram Seram (formerly spelled Ceram; also Seran or Serang) is the largest and main island of Maluku province of Indonesia, despite Ambon Island's historical importance. It is located just north of the smaller Ambon Island and a few other adjacent i ...

(central

) (Seram swiftlet) In 2007 Frank Rheindt and Robert Hutchinson suggested that the subspecies ''A. i. sororum'' and ''A. i. ceramensis'' differed sufficiently in plumage that they might be better considered as separate species. The proposal to split the Moluccan swiftlet into three species was adopted in the list of world birds maintained on behalf of the

International Ornithological Committee The International Ornithologists' Union (IOU) is an international organization for the promotion of ornithology. It links basic and applied research and nurtures education and outreach activities. Specifically, the IOU organizes and funds global co ...

(IOC). The

nominate subspecies In biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics ( morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. ...

with its restricted distribution was renamed as the Halmahera swiftlet. The decision to split the species was not followed by other ornithologists and in 2024 the IOC reversed their decision and re-lumped the three species.

Description

The Moluccan swiftlet is a small forked tailed swiftlet that is in overall length. It has black-brown upper-parts with a grayish rump band. The underparts are pale brown and the under tail is dark brown. The subspecies ''sororum'' has a grey-white rump band in width. The subspecies ''ceramensis'' has a broader rump band in width.

References

Moluccan swiftlet Birds of Halmahera Moluccan swiftlet Endemic birds of Indonesia {{apodiformes-stub