Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Cladus: Craniata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Subsectio: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Cladus: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Euornithes
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Ornithurae
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Ordo: Apodiformes
Familia: Apodidae
Subfamilia: Apodinae
Tribus: Collocaliini
Genus: Aerodramus
Species: Aerodramus elaphrus
Name
Aerodramus elaphrus (Oberholser, 1906)
Synonyms
Collocalia fuciphaga elaphra (protonym)
Collocalia elaphra
References
Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 58: 180, 188.
Vernacular names
català: Salangana de les Seychelles
čeština: Salangana seychelská
English: Seychelles Swiftlet
français: Salangane des Seychelles
Nederlands: Seychellensalangaan
polski: Salangana seszelska
svenska: Seychellsalangan
The Seychelles swiftlet (Aerodramus elaphrus) is a small bird of the swift family. It is found only in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean.
It is 10–12 cm long with a wingspan of 28 cm and a weight of about 10 g. The upperparts are dark grey-brown and are slightly paler on the rump. The underparts are pale grey-brown, darkest on the undertail-coverts. The bill and legs are black. The tail is dark and slightly forked. The wings are long and narrow but are less pointed than those of the other swift species which sometimes visit the islands.
A soft, twittering call is given in flight by feeding flocks and the birds also have a low-pitched, metallic clicking call used for echolocation in caves.
The Seychelles swiftlet is related to the smaller, paler Mascarene swiftlet (Aerodramus francicus) of Mauritius and Réunion and has been treated as a subspecies of it in the past. The two are thought to have separated about 500,000 years ago.
The Seychelles swiftlet breeds on the islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. It formerly bred on Félicité and has been recorded as a non-breeding visitor on Aride. It often feeds over freshwater and mountain passes but can be seen over most habitats. It feeds on flying insects, particularly ants.
Breeding takes place all year round at a small number of colonies in caves. The nest is bracket-shaped and made of strands of lichen and casuarina needles held together by saliva. One white egg is laid and is incubated for about 25 to 30 days. The young birds are fed by both parents and fledge after 42 days.
The species is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN due to its small population (2,500 to 3,000 birds) and limited number of breeding sites. Threats include disturbance, use of insecticides and predation by introduced barn owls and cats.
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aerodramus elaphrus.
BirdLife International (2007) Species factsheet: Collocalia elaphra. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/7/2007.
Chantler, Phil & Driessens, Gerald (2000) Swifts: a Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World, 2nd ed., Pica Press, East Sussex.
Skerrett, Adrian; Bullock, Ian & Disley, Tony (2001) Birds of Seychelles, Christopher Helm, London.
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