Biology:Giant swiftlet
| Giant swiftlet | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Hydrochous Brooke, 1970 |
| Species: | H. gigas
|
| Binomial name | |
| Hydrochous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hydrochrous gigas (Hartert, EJO & Butler, AL, 1901) [orthographic error] | |
The giant swiftlet (Hydrochous gigas), also known as the waterfall swift, is a species of bird in the swift family, Apodidae. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Hydrochous.[2] It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers. It may be threatened by habitat loss.[1]
The giant swiftlet has the largest average wingspan of all the swiftlets, at 150 millimeters.[3] It is a fairly large swift that can grow to 16 cm in length. The female weighs 35 to 39 grams, and the male around 37 grams.[4] Unlike other swiftlets, it builds its nest on a flat horizontal surface instead of molding it against a vertical surface with saliva.[5]
It is not totally nocturnal, lacking the echolocation seen in some other swiftlets, but is still able to orientate visually in dim light.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 BirdLife International (2025). "Hydrochous gigas". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-2.RLTS.T22686485A256210245.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22686485/256210245.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "ITIS Report: Hydrochous". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=553652.
- ↑ Somadikarta, Soekarja (October 1968). "The giant swiftlet, Collocalia gigas, Hartert and Butler". https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/auk/v085n04/p0549-p0559.pdf.
- ↑ "Waterfall Swift (Hydrochous gigas)" (in en). http://www.hbw.com/species/waterfall-swift-hydrochous-gigas.
- ↑ Lee, Patricia L.M.; Clayton, Dale H.; Griffiths, Richard; Page, Roderic D.M. (1996-07-09). "Does behavior reflect phylogeny in swiftlets (Aves: Apodidae)? A test using cytochrome b mitochondrial DNA sequences" (in en). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 93 (14): 7091–7096. doi:10.1073/pnas.93.14.7091. ISSN 0027-8424. PMID 8692950. Bibcode: 1996PNAS...93.7091L.
- ↑ Medway, Lord; Wells, D. R. (1969-10-01). "Dark Orientation by the Giant Swiftlet Collocalia Gigas" (in en). Ibis 111 (4): 609–611. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1969.tb02570.x. ISSN 1474-919X.
Wikidata ☰ Q1261679 entry
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