- Hirundo tahitica
Identification
13-14cm (5-5½ in)
- Blue back
- Brown wings and tail
- Red face and throat
- Dusky underparts
Sexes similar. Juveniles are browner.
Similar Species
Similar to Barn Swallow and Welcome Swallow but is shorter and the tail is less forked. Especially compared to Barn Swallow, the lack of dark blue breast band and the presence of dusky flanks are useful (although east Asian Barn Swallow has less extensive breast band than some other subspecies).
Distribution
From Burma to Japan and the Philippines, New Guinea and Tahiti.
Taxonomy
Hill Swallow was formerly included in this species.
Subspecies
There are 7 subspecies[1]:
- H.t.javanica (abbotti, mallopega):
- Andamans and Myanmar to Indochina, Sundas, Wallacea, Philippines
- H.t.namiyei:
- Ryukyu Islands and Taiwan
- H.t.frontalis:
- North and western New Guinea
- H.t.ambiens:
- New Britain (Bismarck Archipelago)
- H.t.subfusca:
- New Ireland to Solomons, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga
- H.t.tahitica:
- Society Islands (Moorea and Tahiti)
Habitat
Coastal cliffs, but is increasingly spreading to forested uplands.
Behaviour
Diet
Their diet consists mostly of insects, such as beetles, ants and termites but especially flies, which are caught in flight.
Breeding
Their nests are constructed from mud and pellets combined with dry grasses on vertical surfaces with overhangs. The clutch contains 3 white eggs with brown spots.
Vocalisation
Call: high pitched tweet in alarm; otherwise a cheerful twittering.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Birdforum discussion of id features including this species.
- del Hoyo, J., Collar, N. & Kirwan, G.M. (2019). House Swallow (Hirundo javanica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/1343899 on 31 October 2019).
- Gregory, P. (2017) Birds of New Guinea, Including Bismarck Archipelago and Boughainville. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
- Schodde, R. & Mason, I.J. (1999) The Directory of Australian Birds: Passerines. CSIRO Publishing
- Turner, A. & Rose, C. (1989) Swallows & Martins, An Identification Guide and Handbook. Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Pacific Swallow. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pacific_Swallow
