About the Satin Swiftlet
The satin swiftlet is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The satin swiftlet is around 10 cm (4 in) in length. The back is satin blueish black. The throat and upper breast are plain dark grey, the lower breast, flanks and belly are white. The tail feathers are dark but there are usually dull white spots on the inner webs. The subspecies albidior is larger and has large white spots on the inner webs of the tail feathers. The upper breast is a paler grey with white margins to the feathers.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where the Satin Swiftlet lives
When to see the Satin Swiftlet
Peak activity in November · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Tenggara SwiftletCollocalia sumbawaeThe Tenggara swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail.
Drab SwiftletCollocalia neglectaThe drab swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail.
Ridgetop SwiftletCollocalia isonotaThe ridgetop swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail.
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