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The glossy swiftlet is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and eastwards to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This bird is shiny black-blue above, including its rump; sometimes looks black and hooded. Chest black; belly to flanks white with fine black speckles at margins. Wing tips are rounded; underwing is black. Tail rounded with shallow notch and tiny white panels. It is so similar to the white-rumped swiftlet that both its upperparts and underparts must be seen to distinguish between the two. It is 9 to 11.5 cm (3.5 to 4.5 in) in length. Its voice is a soft twittering.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Glossy Swiftlet lives
When to see the Glossy Swiftlet
Peak activity in July · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Linchi SwiftletCollocalia linchiThis bird is shiny blackish-brown above with a greenish gloss, including its rump; sometimes looks black and hooded.
Grey-rumped SwiftletCollocalia marginataThe grey-rumped swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail.
Pygmy SwiftletCollocalia troglodytesThe pygmy swiftlet is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
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