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Juvenile Grey-rumped Treeswifts (Hemiprocne longipennis)

on 24th November 2022

I had a quiet morning bird watching on 4th November 2022 at Ipoh, Perak. But when I came out of the forest there was a large mixed-feeding group of swifts. More than 40 birds together, comprising:  

Grey-rumped Treeswifts (Hemiprocne longipennis)                            15 

Silver-rumped Needletail/Spinetails (Rhaphidura leucopygialis)         10 

Plume-toed Swiftlets (Collocalia affinis)                                               10 

Other unidentified Swifts                                                                   5-10 

  

Wells (1999) notes that Grey-rumped Treeswifts foraging groups may be from 5-50 birds.   

Some of the swifts, with scaly breasts, I did not initially recognise until I processed the images. 

See these two birds below. 

Image 1: Juvenile Grey-rumped Treeswift in flight. Kledang Sayong Forest Reserve Ipoh, perak, Malaysia. 4 November 2022.
Image 2: Juvenile Grey-rumped Treeswift with scaly underparts seen during flight. Kledang Sayong Forest Reserve Ipoh, perak, Malaysia. 4 November 2022.

They are juvenile (possibly male) Grey-rumped Treeswifts. I have not seen juveniles in flight prior to this.  

The next two images are of adults (male and female). 

Image 3: Adult male Grey-rumped Treeswift in flight. Kledang Sayong Forest Reserve Ipoh, perak, Malaysia. 4 November 2022.
Image 4: Adult female Grey-rumped Treeswift in flight. Kledang Sayong Forest Reserve Ipoh, perak, Malaysia. 4 November 2022.

 

References: 

Wells, D.R. (1999). The birds of the Thai-Malay Peninsula: Vol. 1 (Passerines). Christopher Helm, London 

   

Dato’ Dr Amar-Singh HSS 

Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia 

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If you like this post please tap on the Like button at the left bottom of page. Any views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the authors/contributors, and are not endorsed by the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM, NUS) or its affiliated institutions. Readers are encouraged to use their discretion before making any decisions or judgements based on the information presented.

LW Teo

Other posts by LW Teo

2 Responses

  1. Dear Vanessa,

    Thank you for your humour. The longipennis refers to the long wing feathers which criss-cross each other at the back of the bird.

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