Antillean Palm-Swift

A white rump and white undersides with a dark breast band distinguish this bird from the darker--and much larger---Black Swift. It is more slender than many other swifts and its tail is slightly forked. It often nests in palm trees, hence the name. Length: 9-10 cm. Native to Hispaniola, Cuba, and Jamaica. Accidental on Puerto Rico.

TAXONOMY: APODIFORMES; APODIDAE; Apodinae

References

Chantler, P. and G. Driessens. 2000. Swifts: a guide to swifts and treeswifts of the world, 2nd edition. Yale Univ. Press.

del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1999. Handbook of the Birds of the World, Vol. 5. Barn Owls to Hummingbirds. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.

Holmgren, J. 1998. A parsimonious phylogenetic tree for the swifts, Apodidae, compared with DNA-analysis phylogenies. Bull. B.O.C. 118(4):238-249.

Pérez-Rivera, R.A. 1980. Algunas notas sobre migración de aves en Puerto Rico. Science-Ciencia 7(4):123-126.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton.

Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR.

Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton.

Antillean Palm-Swift, Spanish text

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