The Pacific swallow (Hirundo tahitica) is a small
passerinebird in the
swallow family. It breeds in tropical southern Asia and the islands of the south Pacific. It is resident apart from some local seasonal movements. This bird is associated with coasts, but is increasingly spreading to forested uplands.[2] The
hill swallow and the
welcome swallow were formerly considered conspecific.
Taxonomy
The Pacific swallow was
formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist
Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of
Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with the swallows in the
genusHirundo and coined the
binomial nameHirundo tahitica.[3] Gmelin based his entry on the "Otaheite swallow" that had been described and illustrated in 1783 by the English ornithologist
John Latham in his book A General Synopsis of Birds.[4]
This species is a small swallow at 13 cm (5.1 in) in length. It has a blue-black back and crown with browner wings and tail, a red face and throat, and dusky underparts. It differs from the
barn swallow and the closely related
welcome swallow in its shorter and less forked tail.[2][6]
Behaviour
The Pacific swallow builds a neat cup-shaped nest, constructed with mud pellets collected in the beak, under a cliff ledge or on man-made structures such as a building, bridge or tunnel. The nest is lined with softer material, and the clutch is two to three eggs. It is similar in behaviour to other aerial
insectivores, such as other
swallows and the unrelated
swifts. It is a fast flyer and feeds on
insects, especially
flies, while airborne.[2]
^Gill, Frank; Donsker, David;
Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (January 2023).
"Swallows". IOC World Bird List Version 13.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
^Grimmett, Richard; Inskipp, Carol; Inskipp, Tim (2002). Pocket Guide to Birds of the Indian Subcontinent. London: Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd.
ISBN0-7136-6304-9.