Antillean Palm Swift - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Conorbirda2
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, June 2008

Tachornis phoenicobia

Identification

Mostly black upperside with white rump. Narrow white central underside between black flanks and with a thin dark breast band. Sides of head is dark grey-brown, not black. Immature has buffy instead of white underside. ^[1]

Distribution

Cuba, Isle of Pines, Jamaica and Hispaniola. Vagrant to Puerto Rico and accidental vagrant to Florida (1 record).

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

• T. p. iradii:

• Cuba and Isle of Pines

• T. p. phoenicobia:

• Jamaica, Hispaniola, Saona, Beata and Île-á-Vache

Habitat

Lowlands and low mountains.

Behaviour

Diet

The diet consists of insects which are caught at less than 20 m/65 ft above ground.

Breeding

Nesting is colonial, taking place in March/April, most often in palms or tobaco sheds^[1].

Easily seen around inhabited areas breeding in any thatched roof buildings including roadside shelters. (P.Freestone)

References

1. Raffaele et al. 1998. Birds of the West Indies. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713649054
2. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
3. Freestone.P. 2005 Trip Report to Dominican Republic. Cornwall Birding Website. http://www.cornwall-birding.co.uk/trip-reports/dominican-republic-a-hotel-bird-report/

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2023) Antillean Palm Swift. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 December 2023 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Antillean_Palm_Swift

External Links

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