Sunday 31 July 2016

Asian Palm Swift (Cypsiurus balasiensis)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Cypsiurus ("swallow tail") balasiensis ("of Balasore"; first British settlement in Bengal)
Adult Asian Palm Swift (subspecies C. b. infumatus) in Malacca, Malaysia - July 2016

Featured Subspecies: Cypsiuris balasiensis infumatus
Weight: ?  /  Length: 13cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Swift identification in Malaysia is a somewhat tricky affair - there are around ten species in total, and though the swiftlets have a much more compact flight profile than their full swift cousins, that still leaves three common larger species to choose from.  Out of the three, the Asian Palm Swift has the longest and most slender build - a more delicate looking bird than the alternatives.  As the name suggests, it is a species that nests in palm fronds.

Related Species:
Order: Apodiformes
Family: Apodidae
Genus: Cypsiurus
SUBSPECIES: C. b. balasiensis, C. b. infumatus, C. b. bartelsorum, C. b. pallidor 

 - Sighting Locations -
CAMBODIA  Khmer name: ត្រចៀកកាំដើមត្នោត ("Palm tree ?")
 A fairly common resident
 - CAMBODIA/SINGAPORE 2019 TRIP: Seen above Angkor Wat
MALAYSIA - Malay - Layang-layang Palma ("Palm Kite")
Common resident
 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Seen in Malacca - many more probably seen but unidentified due to high speed..
SINGAPORE - Common resident.
 - MALAYSIA/SINGAPORE 2016 TRIP: Probable birds seen.

Further Notes: BirdForum OpusIUCN Red ListRSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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