It showed a glossy swiftlet, not the edible-nest swiftlet, which is a different species.
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Swiftlet populations have fallen steeply in some regions, prompting conservation officials to look for ways to protect the species.
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It requires a special kind of nest, made by a particular species of swiftlet, a tropical bird mostly found in Southeast Asia.
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Bird's nest soup is a Chinese dish that's made with the saliva of a swiftlet bird and is considered to have healing powers.
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Today, he can be considered an authoritative figure in the biz, owning four swiftlet operations that produce a combined 25 to 35 pounds a month.
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Long before farming took off, the primary means of attaining a swiftlet nest was to venture deep into caves and scale the walls to get them, a practice that continues today on the islands along Vietnam's central coast.
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The Mariana swiftlet or Guam swiftlet (Aerodramus bartschi) is a species of swiftlet in the family Apodidae.
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The Halmahera swiftlet (Aerodramus infuscatus) is a species in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to Halmahera. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The IUCN lumps the Halmahera swiftlet, the Sulawesi swiftlet, and the Seram swiftlet together, calling it the Moluccan swiftlet.
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It is similar to, and most likely to be confused with, the white- rumped swiftlet or mountain swiftlet.
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The Christmas Island swiftlet (Collocalia natalis), also known as the Christmas glossy swiftlet or the Christmas cave swiftlet, is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the eastern Indian Ocean. It was formerly commonly treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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The three-toed swiftlet or Papuan swiftlet (Aerodramus papuensis) is a species of swift. It is found in New Guinea.
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The island swiftlet, also known as the Micronesian swiftlet, or Caroline Islands swiftlet, (Aerodramus inquietus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. Some taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies of the uniform swiftlet. It is endemic to the Caroline Islands, and its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
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Himalayan swiftlet winters within the range of Germain's swiftlet, but is larger and bulkier, and has a greyer rump than C. g. germani.
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The Bornean swiftlet (Collocalia dodgei), also referred to as the Kinabalu 'linchi' swiftlet, is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the northern mountains of the island of Borneo. It has variously been considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet or the cave swiftlet, and in 2008 was split from the latter (C. linchi) as a full species C. dodgei.
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The Christmas Island swiftlet was described by the English naturalist Joseph Lister in 1889 with the scientific name Collocalia esculenta natalis. (Title page dated 1888) It has usually been considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta). However, in 2008 the taxonomists Les Christidis and Walter Boles treated the swiftlet as a subspecies of the cave swiftlet (Collocalia linchi).Christidis & Boles, p.80.
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Aerodramus sawtelli, the Atiu swiftlet, and Aerodramus maximus, the black-nest swiftlet are the only known species which emit single clicks. The single click is thought be used to avoid voice overlap during echolocation. The use of a single click might be associated with an evolutionary shift in eastern Pacific swiftlets; determining how many clicks the Marquesan swiftlet emits could shed light on this. It was also discovered that both the Atiu swiftlet and the Papuan swiftlet emit clicks while foraging outside at dusk; the latter possibly only in these circumstances, considering that it might not nest in caves at all.
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The swiftlet feeds aerially on flying ants and other insects.
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It was formerly lumped with the island swiftlet (Aerodramus inquietus).
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The Himalayan swiftlet (Aerodramus brevirostris) is a small swift. It is a common colonial breeder in the Himalayas and Southeast Asia. Some populations are migratory. This swiftlet was formerly placed in the genus Collocalia.
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Two of its five subspecies are frequently given full species status, A. b. rogersi as the Indochinese swiftlet, Aerodramus rogersi, and the isolated Javan form A. b. vulcanorum as the Volcano swiftlet, Aerodramus vulcanorum.
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The drab swiftlet (Collocalia neglecta) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Lesser Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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The Grey Swiftlet colony at Finch Hatton Gorge. Sunbird 7:65-66. and one of the few Australian records of glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta) was in the park.Boles, W. E., and D. H. Barry. 1975.
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Authentic bird's-nest soup is made from nests of some species of swiftlet, mainly the edible-nest (or white-nest) swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the black-nest swiftlet. Instead of twigs, feathers and straw, these swiftlets make their nest only from strands of their gummy saliva, which hardens when exposed to air. Once the nests are harvested, they are cleaned and sold to restaurants. Eating swiftlet nest material is believed to help maintain skin tone, balance qi ("life energy") and reinforce the immune system,.
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An edible nest The intricately constructed saliva nests of this swiftlet genus, which in some species contain no other material, are collected to make the delicacy bird's nest soup. They therefore command extremely high prices. Authentic bird's nest soup is made from the nests of the edible-nest swiftlet (or white-nest swiftlet), Aerodramus fuciphagus, and the black-nest swiftlet, Aerodramus maximus. Instead of incorporating twigs, feathers and straw like others in the genus, these two swiftlets make their nest only from strands of their gummy saliva, which harden when exposed to air.
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A distinguishing feature between the two species is that the glossy swiftlet has a tuft of feathers on its hind toe but the cave swiftlet has a naked toe. It is in length. The call is a high-pitched "cheer-cheer".
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The ridgetop swiftlet (Collocalia isonota) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was previously considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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The uniform swiftlet, (Aerodramus vanikorensis), also known as the Vanikoro or lowland swiftlet, is a gregarious, medium-sized swiftlet with a shallowly forked tail. The colouring is dark grey-brown, darker on the upperparts with somewhat paler underparts, especially on chin and throat. This species is widespread from the Philippines through Wallacea, New Guinea and Melanesia. It forages for flying insects primarily in lowland forests and open areas.
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The Palawan swiftlet (Aerodramus palawanensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. Some taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies of the uniform swiftlet. It is endemic to the Philippines. It uses echolocation to navigate and hunt in the darkness.
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The edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), also known as the white-nest swiftlet, is a small bird of the swift family which is found in South-East Asia. Its nest is made of solidified saliva and is used to make bird's nest soup.
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The Tenggara swiftlet (Collocalia sumbawae) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the western Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was previously considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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The satin swiftlet (Collocalia uropygialis) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Santa Cruz Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It was formerly treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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The Sulawesi swiftlet (Aerodramus sororum) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to Sulawesi. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Moluccan swiftlet. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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The cave swiftlet (Collocalia linchi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found on the Indonesia islands of Sumatra, Java and Bali. It is a woodland species and nests in caves. The Bornean swiftlet was considered a subspecies, but is now usually considered distinct.
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It occurs in alpine areas from 500 m to the treeline. Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests and other mountainous habitats in New Guinea. It also occurs in lower numbers in the lowlands near hills. The mountain swiftlet is a medium-sized swiftlet, 11–13 cm long.
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A soft, twittering call is given in flight by feeding flocks and the birds also have a low-pitched, metallic clicking call used for echolocation in caves. The Seychelles swiftlet is related to the smaller, paler Mascarene swiftlet (Aerodramus francicus) of Mauritius and Réunion and has been treated as a subspecies of it in the past. The two are thought to have separated about 500,000 years ago. The Seychelles swiftlet breeds on the islands of Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.
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The uniform swiftlet is a gregarious, medium-sized swiftlet with a shallowly forked tail. It is about 13 cm long with a wingspan averaging around 27 cm. It weighs about 11 grams. The colouring is dark grey- brown, darker on the upperparts with paler underparts, especially on chin and throat.
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The plume-toed swiftlet (Collocalia affinis) is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is found on some eastern Indian Ocean islands, the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, and lowland Borneo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. It was previously considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.
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Several subspecies are recognised, and the form A. v. inquietus is often split as the island swiftlet, A. inquietus.
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The Seram swiftlet (Aerodramus ceramensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Buru, Seram, Boano and Ambon Island. It used to be considered a subspecies of the Moluccan swiftlet. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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The Mangaia swiftlet (Aerodramusa manuoi) is an extinct species of bird in the swift family. It became extinct during prehistoric times. It was endemic to Mangaia in the Cook Islands. It was closely allied with the extant Atiu swiftlet (Aerodramus sawtelli) of Atiu, Mangaia's neighbouring island, though it was probably slightly larger.
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The mossy-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus salangana) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. Some taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies of the uniform swiftlet. It is found in northern Borneo, the Natuna and the Derawan Islands and Nias island off western Sumatra. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
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The glossy swiftlet nests inside caves and buildings, creating a nest on a vertical or under a horizontal surface by secreting a sticky gel and attaching a kind of string-like grass to the surface. It is seen flying over forests, streams, rivers and roads catching insects in flight. Glossy swiftlets have been considered as possible foster parents for restoring the population of the endangered edible-nest swiftlet in the Andaman Islands.R. Sankaran (1998), The impact of nest collection on the Edible-nest Swiftlet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
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The hardened saliva nests of the edible-nest swiftlet and the black- nest swiftlet have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup. Over-harvesting of this expensive delicacy has led to a decline in the numbers of these swiftlets, especially as the nests are also thought to have health benefits and aphrodisiac properties. Most nests are built during the breeding season by the male swiftlet over a period of 35 days. They take the shape of a shallow cup stuck to the cave wall.
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Mayr's swiftlet (Aerodramus orientalis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in New Ireland and Guadalcanal.
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A Palawan swiftlet (Aerodramus palawanensis) flies in complete darkness inside the Puerto Princesa subterranean river cave. Oilbirds and some species of swiftlet are known to use a relatively crude form of echolocation compared to that of bats and dolphins. These nocturnal birds emit calls while flying and use the calls to navigate through trees and caves where they live.
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The Tahiti swiftlet or Polynesian swiftlet (Aerodramus leucophaeus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Society Islands in French Polynesia, where it occurs on Tahiti and Moorea. It prefers wet, rocky and forested valleys at high elevations, and nests either in shallow depressions with overhanging rocks, coastal cliffs or caves.
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The Australian swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae) is a small bird belonging to the genus Aerodramus in the swift family, Apodidae. It is endemic to Queensland in north-eastern Australia. It was formerly included in the white- rumped swiftlet (Aerodramus spodiopygius) but is now commonly treated as a separate species. It has two subspecies which are occasionally regarded as two separate species: A. t.
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The Indian swiftlet, or Indian edible-nest swiftlet, (Aerodramus unicolor) is a small swift. It is a common resident colonial breeder in the hills of Sri Lanka and south west India. The half-cup nest is built on a vertical surface, often in a cave. The male swift uses thick saliva to construct the white, shiny nest into which two eggs are laid.
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Sea turtles breed here, as do the endemic subspecies of the edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) and the distinctive white-bellied sea eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster).
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Sometimes the bird breeds in hollow trees and these nests are susceptible to attack by the ants, but the ants do not enter the limestone caverns that are the principle breeding site and are not therefore likely to impact directly on the swiftlet. An application made in 2006 to list the swiftlet as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 was unsuccessful.Beeton, p.3.
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Of special interest to tourists are the kopeka caves deep in the makatea, the Atiuan 'jungle'. The Atiu swiftlet or kopeka (Aerodramus sawtelli) nests inside Anatakitaki Cave. The swiftlet navigates in the dark using sonar, like bats. Because the island is free of black rats, it was chosen as a site for reintroduction of Kuhl's lorikeet or the Rimatara lorikeet (Vini kuhlii) in 2007.
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The white-rumped swiftlet (Aerodramus spodiopygius) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in American Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Birds in Australia are now treated as a separate species, Australian swiftlet (Aerodramus terraereginae). Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, and rocky areas.
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The name El Nido is the Spanish term for literally "The Nest". Many locals still practice manual climbing of the limestone caves to gather swiftlet nests.
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At about 10 cm in length it is a tiny swiftlet with relatively short wings and a square tail. Mainly glossy dark grey to black in colour, it has a white belly. Compared with the glossy swiftlet, which also occurs within its range, it is slightly smaller, with a greenish, rather than bluish, gloss to the feathers, and with no white tail spots; nor does it have feathered hind toes.
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Garnett & Crowley (2000) considered the swiftlet, along with a suite of Christmas Island's other endemics, as critically endangered, with the principal threat coming from the yellow crazy ants which were accidentally introduced to the island. The threat is not only that of direct ant predation of swiftlet nestlings, but also indirectly from potentially massive changes to the ecology of the island caused by the ants.Garnett & Crowley, pp.385 and 652.
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The edible-nest swiftlet feeds over a range of habitats from coastal areas to the mountains, occurring up to 2,800 metres above sea-level on Sumatra and Borneo. Its diet consists of flying insects which are caught on the wing. It often feeds in large flocks with other species of swiftlet and swallow. It breeds in colonies in caves, in a cleft in a cliff or sometimes on a building.
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The bare-legged swiftlet (Aerodramus nuditarsus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in New Guinea, in subtropical and tropical moist montane forest.
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The Palau swiftlet (Aerodramus pelewensis) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to Palau. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
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This swiftlet is monogamous and both partners take part in caring for the nestlings. The Himalayan swiftlet, like all swifts, is an aerial insectivore, leaving the cave during the day to forage, and returning to its roost at night. In the evening or bad weather, flocks may descend from the hills to feed over cultivated land. This gregarious species forms flocks typically of about 50 birds, but up to 300 have been recorded.
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The Marquesan swiftlet (Aerodramus ocistus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to French Polynesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
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The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands is home to 40 indigenous and introduced bird species. Some endemic bird species are the Mariana fruit dove, the Mariana swiftlet, the Rota white-eye, the Tinian monarch, the bridled white-eye and the golden white-eye. Other common, but introduced species, include the collared kingfisher, the rufous fantail, the fairy tern and the uniform swiftlet. The Mariana fruit bat is endemic to both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
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An Australian swiftlet over the Cairns Centenary Lakes Held in between 7 and 10 April 2016, at the Hotel Nord in Szczecin, Poland, with 84 attendants from 23 countries: Australia, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guernsey, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Uzbekistan.The International Swift Seminars Szczecin 2016, Summaries of the presentations Among the presentations was Michael Tarburton's, about the Australian swiftlet, Aerodramus terraereginae.
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Mentakab is a popular site for urban swiftlet farming; the top floor of many shoplots in the city are modified to provide space for swiftlet farming. Successful urban farming can be rewarding as each kilogram of swiflets' nest can be sold for as high as US$2000. However, few have succeeded and disadvantages towards urban residents can potentially outweigh economic gains such as widespread of diseases or bird flu and excessive bird droppings. 13 December 2007, Mentakab during flood.
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The genus previously contained fewer species. Seven subspecies of the glossy swiftlet were promoted to species status based on a detailed analysis of the swiftlets in the genus Collocalia published in 2017.
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The swift family remains one of the more complicated groups of birds in taxonomic research, but the swiftlet tribe is a rather well-defined group. Its internal systematics is confusing; the plumage is usually dull, with shades of black, brown, and gray; from their outward appearance, most species are very similar. Swiftlets have four toes, except the Papuan swiftlet which lacks the hallux (back toe). Their legs are very short, preventing the birds from perching, but allowing them to cling to vertical surfaces.
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Birdlife International species factsheet: Collocalia whiteheadi. Retrieved on 24 July 2007.Birdlife International species factsheet: Collocalia bartschi. Retrieved on 24 July 2007 The Mangaia swiftlet is a recently extinct species known only from fossils.
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The pygmy swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests. At under , it's the world's smallest swift.
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It is so similar to the white-rumped swiftlet that both its upperparts and underparts must be seen to distinguish between the two. It is in length. Its voice is a soft twittering.Simpson, Ken & Day, Nicholas (1999).
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As with other taxonomically difficult groups, ectoparasites can give information on relationships.Page, R. D. M., Lee, P. L. M., Becher, S.A., Griffiths, R., Clayton D. H. (1997). "A Different Tempo of Evolution in Birds and their Parasitic Lice" Text retrieved 12 Nov 2007 A study of swiftlet parasites in northern Borneo involved transferring lice between closely related swiftlet species. The survival of lice in most of these transfers was significantly reduced in proportion to the mean difference in feather barb size between the donor and recipient species of hosts.
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The Himalayan swiftlet has a twittering ' roosting call, and also has a piercing ' call. What distinguishes many, but not all, swiftlet species from other swifts and indeed almost all other birds (the oilbird being an exception) is their ability to use a simple but effective form of echolocation to navigate through the darkness of the caves where they roost at night and breed. With the present species, at least vulcanorum is known to echolocate. Unlike bats, the swiftlets make clicking noises for echolocation that are well within the human range of hearing.
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Elephants also can be found in forested or mountainous areas of the islands, they are brought over from the mainland to help with timber extraction in 1883. Elephant at Andaman and Nicobar Islands About 270 species of birds are found in the territory; 14 of them are endemic, the majority to the Nicobar island group. The islands' many caves are nesting grounds for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are prized in China for bird's nest soup.R. Sankaran (1999), The impact of nest collection on the Edible-nest Swiftlet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands .
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The glossy swiftlet is known from India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Timor, Brunei, Christmas Island, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It is a vagrant to Australia. It is not a migrant.
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Nine species of bat, two species of swiftlet and whip spider (Stygophrynus sp.) are found in the cave, and the sea cow (Dugong dugon) and the hawksbill sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) feed in the coastal area of the park.
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The Bornean swiftlet was described by the American ornithologist Charles Richmond in 1905 under current binomial name Collocalia dodgei. The specific epithet dodgei is in honour of H. D. Dodge who had collected the specimen on Mount Kinabalu in Borneo.
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But recently, the pygmy swiftlet Collocalia troglodytes was discovered making similar clicking noises in and outside its cave. Characteristics of behavior, such as what materials other than saliva the nests contain, can be used to differentiate between certain species of Aerodramus.
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Collocalia buday is an extinct species of large swiftlet from the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene of Australia. It was described in 2001 by Walter Boles from fossil material found at Riversleigh, in the Boodjamulla National Park of north-western Queensland.
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The uniform swiftlet forages over lowland forests and open areas. It roosts in caves and sinkholes, mostly in limestone areas. The caves may be as little as long but are usually much larger. Sometimes man-made tunnels or structures are used.
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Eggs of Collocalia esculenta MHNT The glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and eastwards to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands.
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The glossy swiftlet has a very large range and is reported as being abundant in at least part of the range. It faces no particular threats, and as a result, the IUCN has listed it as being of "Least Concern".
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Germain's swiftlet (Aerodramus germani) is a species of swift. It is found in China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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The Papuan swiftlet, Aerodramus papuensis, has three toes instead of the usual four in this group. It has the ability to echolocate, but whereas other previously studied species use echolocation primarily while flying in their caves, the Papuan swiftlet appears to be nocturnal or crepuscular and uses echolocation while active outside at night. It uses single, not double, clicks. DNA sequence data provides strong support for a basal relationship between A. papuensis and other Aerodramus taxa and suggest that this species and the waterfall swift Hydrochous gigas, are sister taxa, a relationship that would indicate paraphyly of the genus Aerodramus.
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This swiftlet is a highland species, with a preference for feeding open areas in forests, such as river valleys. A. b. brevirostris breeds up 4,500 m in Nepal and 2200m in central Bhutan, and the forms A. b. rogersi and A. b.
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The Philippine swiftlet (Aerodramus mearnsi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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The swiftlet is about 11 cm in length with a dark grey-brown head and upperparts. Its throat and upper breast are grey-white with the rest of the underparts darker grey. The tail has a shallow fork and the plumage lacks gloss.
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This swiftlet is 12 cm long and weighs 13 to 14 grams. The plumage is blackish-brown above, but much paler on the underparts. The tail is slightly forked and the wings are long and narrow. The bill and feet are black.
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No swift species has become extinct since 1600, but BirdLife International assesses the Guam swiftlet as endangered and lists the Atiu, dark-rumped, Schouteden's, Seychelles and Tahiti swiftlets as vulnerable; twelve other species are near threatened or lack sufficient data for classification.
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The nominate subspecies C. g. germani from Hainan south to Thailand and northern Malaysia has a whitish rump, but C. g. amechanus of the rest of Malaysia has a grey rump. These two forms are sometimes considered to be subspecies of the edible-nest swiftlet.
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The flight of some species is characterised by a distinctive "flicking" action quite different from swallows. Swifts range in size from the pygmy swiftlet (Collocalia troglodytes), which weighs 5.4 g and measures long, to the purple needletail (Hirundapus celebensis), which weighs and measures long.
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The nests of Aerodramus swiftlets are constructed with saliva as a major component. In two species, saliva is the only material used, and the nests are collected for the famous Chinese delicacy 'bird's nest soup', the over-collection of which puts pressure on the swiftlet populations.
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The small Mascarene swiftlet has longer, narrower wings than the martin, and a much lighter flight.Sinclair & Langrand (2004) p. 295. The Brazza's martin is smaller, has a plainer back and finer dashing on the throat and chest,Reichenow (1903) p. 425. but there is no range overlap.
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Bird's nests are collected in the wild, on bird farms on the islands off the coast and even in some houses in the inner city. The farmed bird in question belongs to the swiftlet group, popularly referred to as yến hàng (Aerodramus fuciphagus and A. germani).
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These miniature species, pygmy swiftlet of the Philippines weighs only 5 grams. in addition, swiftlets that nest in complete darkness rooted in caves have the ability to position an object by reflected sound, precisely used by animals such as dolphins and bats,This phenomenon is called echolocation.
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The satin swiftlet is around in length. The back is satin blueish black. The throat and upper breast are plain dark grey, the lower breast, flanks and belly are white. The tail feathers are dark but there are usually dull white spots on the inner webs.
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This swiftlet is restricted to the 135 km2 Christmas Island where it is commonly seen in large numbers in flight above the tropical rainforest that covers 75% of the island, as well as over other terrestrial habitats there. It nests mainly in caves in the limestone cliffs surrounding the island.
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The edible-nest swiftlet generally measures 14cm (5.5. in). The upper part of the body is blackish-brown; the under part of the body ranges in color from white to blackish-brown. The tail has a slight notch. It weighs 15 to 18 grams and the wings are long and narrow.
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The drab swiftlet is in length with a square tail. It has a satin grayish-blue back with slightly glossy crown and tail. The throat and the upper breast is a mid-gray with a lighter margin to the feathers. The lower breast, flanks and belly are white but the rump is dark.
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The Whitehead's swiftlet (Aerodramus whiteheadi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. It is named after the British explorer John Whitehead (1860-1899) who collected natural history specimens in Borneo and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
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Colonial breeders produce guano in and around their nesting sites, which is a valuable fertilizer from the Andean Pacific coast and other areas. The saliva nest of the edible-nest swiftlet is used to make bird's nest soup, long considered a delicacy in China. Collection of the swiftlet nests is big business: in one year, more than 3.5 million nests were exported from Borneo to China, and the industry was estimated at $1 billion US per year (and increasing) in 2008. While the collection is regulated in some areas (at the Gomantong Caves, for example, where nests can be collected only from February to April or July to September), it is not in others, and the swiftlets are declining in areas where the harvest reaches unsustainable levels.
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Thus, adaptation to a particular resource on the body of the host appears to govern the specificity of swiftlet lice. In transfers where lice survived, the lice moved to different areas on the body of the host where the mean barb diameter of the feathers on which the lice occurred had the required value.
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Some bird species nest deep in cave systems which are too dark for vision, and find their way to the nest with a simple form of echolocation. The oilbird is the only nocturnal bird to echolocate, but several Aerodramus swiftlets also utilise this technique, with one species, Atiu swiftlet, also using echolocation outside its caves.
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The uniform swiftlet has a very large range and that they are locally common and in some places abundant within that range. The population has not been quantified but is believed to be stable. The birds face no particular threats, and as a result, the IUCN has listed it as being of "Least Concern".
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The Nepal house martin feeds on insects taken in flight, hunting along ridges or above treetops. The diet is not well known, but includes flies. This bird is gregarious, feeding in flocks often with other aerial predators like the Himalayan swiftlet, or other hirundines such as the barn swallow, striated swallow or common house martin.
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The swiftlet breeds deep in caves, in almost total darkness. It builds a small cup-shaped nest for its clutch of two eggs, high up on the cave wall and often sheltered by a stalactite. The nests are made of dried palm fibres and lichen and are cemented to the cave wall with the bird's saliva.Higgins, pp.1054-1055.
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The young bird remains in the nest for about 46–51 days after hatching. The Australian swiftlet feeds in flight, preying on insects and drifting spiders. It forages in flocks over rainforest edges, savanna, pastures, beaches and gorges. It generally feeds within 30 kilometres of the breeding colony, leaving the nest for periods of about 30 minutes to hunt.
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This bird is shiny blackish-brown above with a greenish gloss, including its rump; sometimes looks black and hooded. Chest black; belly to flanks pale grey with fine black speckles at margins. Wing tips are rounded; underwing is black. Tail black, rounded with shallow notch but lacking the white specks found in the very similar glossy swiftlet (Collocalia esculenta).
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The Atiu swiftlet (Aerodramus sawtelli) is a species of bird in the swift family, endemic to Atiu in the Cook Islands. This small, dark swift measures long. It is sooty-brown above, slightly lighter below. Its natural habitats are the island's fernlands and mixed horticultural areas over which it feeds, and in makatea limestone caves within which it nests.
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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. It is found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Java, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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The swiftlet is found in Guam as well as in Saipan and Aguiguan in the Northern Mariana Islands, and is locally extinct on Rota and Tinian. It was also introduced successfully to Oahu in the Hawaiian Islands in the early 1960s, though the population there remains small. Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forest, mangrove forest and grassland.
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Germain's swiftlet has an extensive range, estimated at 1-10 million square kilometres (0.4-3.8 million square miles), and a large population. The species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e., declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations), and is therefore evaluated as Least Concern.
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However, there are several environmental concerns that flow from this practices. Besides, the locals are beginning to invest into the bird's nest market. They do so by constructing 3 to 4 storey high buildings that resembles caves, home of the edible-nest swiftlet. These swiftlets nest in the buildings and their nests are then harvested for sale.
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The Seychelles swiftlet (Aerodramus elaphrus) is a small bird of the swift family. It is found only in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is 10–12 cm long with a wingspan of 28 cm and a weight of about 10 g. The upperparts are dark grey-brown and are slightly paler on the rump.
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At its peak about 8–10 years ago, swiftlet breeding caused property prices to skyrocket. Sitiawan also is known for the Tua Pek Kong temple located 15 minutes from the town. The temple has monumental statues and structures. A row of statues carved to resemble Chinese deities are situated in the garden area of the temple facing the Pasir Panjang seashore.
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The cave swiftlet has a very wide range and is common in Java and the nearby islands. It has no particular threats and the IUCN has listed it as being of "Least Concern". Although the overall population may be declining slightly, this is not believed to be at such a rate as would justify listing it in a more threatened category.
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The black-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus maximus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest. It is one of the main sources of edible nests for bird's nest soup.
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An Early Miocene fossil swiftlet from the Riversleigh deposits of Australia was described as Collocalia buday. This as well as a right ulna (MNZ S42799) found at the Bannockburn Formation of the Manuherikia Group near the Manuherikia River in Otago, New Zealand. Dating from the Early to Middle Miocene (Altonian, 19-16 million years ago),Worthy et al. (2007) probably belongs to Aerodramus.
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It is nocturnal, roosting in sheltered places during the day such as caves. They navigate and potentially locate food resources using a primitive form of echolocation. They create high-pitched buzzing calls by moving the tongue against the palate. Food sources may include nectar and fruit, though it is alleged that they eat edible-nest swiftlet eggs and hatchlings, causing damage to the economically valuable nests.
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The giant swiftlet has the largest average wingspan of all the swiftlets, at 150 millimeters. 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. Unlike other swiftlets, it builds its nest on a flat horizontal surface instead of molding it against a vertical surface with saliva.
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This swiftlet feeds over a range of habitats from coastal areas to the mountains. Its diet consists of flying insects which are caught on the wing. It often feeds in large flocks with other species of swift and swallow. A colony breeds on the interior walls of this Thai temple It breeds in colonies in caves, in a cleft in a cliff or sometimes on a building.
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The mountain swiftlet (Aerodramus hirundinaceus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the island of New Guinea and the nearby islands of Karkar, Yapen and Goodenough. It was once placed in the genus Collocalia but has been moved, with many others, to Aerodramus. The species is divided into three subspecies,ITIS standard report page for Aerodramus with the nominate, A. h.
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The plume-toed swiftlet is in length with a square tail. The back and upper surface of the wings are uniformly dark greenish-blue with a moderate gloss. The throat and upper breast are dark grey merging into large greyish chevrons over the lower breast and flanks, usually becoming white over the belly. There is a tuft of small feathers on the , the rear facing toe.
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The Tenggara swiftlet is in length with a square tail. The back and upper surface of the wings are dark blue with a moderate gloss. The is generally dark but sometimes includes feathers with thin white edging. The throat and upper breast are grey with fine white scalloping merging into larger greyish chevrons over the lower breast and flanks, becoming white over the belly.
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The species is in danger of becoming extinct due to its restricted range of less than , its existence in fewer than five locations, and the continued decline in locations of occurrence. While it is not specifically protected by India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972, most of its habitat is within protected areas or areas with restricted access. Possible threats to this species include disturbance related to edible-nest swiftlet nest harvesting.
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The cave swiftlet is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. It is found in the Sundaic region, in Java, Madura Island, Bawean, Kangean Island, Nusa Penida, Bali and Lombok, parts of Sumatra, and the western slopes of Mount Kinabalu on Sabah, Borneo. Evidence of it occurring in Malaysia rests on a single specimen in the British Museum labelled "Molacca". Its natural habitat is lowland and upland forest and open woodland.
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The cave swiftlet is highly gregarious and flies with all the other species of swift that are sympatric with it. It often circles and flies through the branches of trees emerging through the canopy such as fruiting figs. It breeds in the lighter parts of caves, building a nest of stringy vegetation and cementing the materials to the rock with saliva. Two white, somewhat elongated eggs are laid.
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The ridgetop swiftlet is in length with a square tail. The back and upper surface of the wings are a dark dull blue with a moderate green gloss. The is sometimes slightly paler due to the white margins of feathers forming the . The throat and upper breast are dark grey with fine white scalloping merging into larger greyish chevrons over the lower breast and flanks, becoming white over the belly.
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In Lang Rong Rien cave in 1986 archaeologists found 40,000-year-old human artifacts: stone tools, pottery, and bones. It is one of the oldest traces of human occupation in Southeast Asia. Krabi's caves are one of the main sources of nests of the edible-nest swiftlet, used in the making of bird's nest soup. Krabi's farmland is dominated by a duopoly of rubber and palm oil plantations.
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Seychelles has 12 endemic bird species. These are the Aldabra drongo, Seychelles magpie robin, Seychelles paradise flycatcher, Seychelles fody, Seychelles scops-owl, Seychelles white-eye, Seychelles swiftlet, Seychelles kestrel, Seychelles blue pigeon, Seychelles bulbul, Seychelles warbler and Seychelles sunbird. In addition, the islands were formerly home to the Seychelles parakeet, a species that became extinct in the late 1800s. Seychelles hosts some of the largest seabird colonies in the world.
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Echolocation, DNA sequencing and parasitic lice have all been used to establish relationships, but some problems, such as the placement of the Papuan swiftlet are not fully resolved. These swiftlets can pose major identification problems where several species occur. What distinguishes Aerodramus swiftlets from other swifts, and indeed almost all other birds, is their ability to use a simple but effective form of echolocation. This enables them to navigate within the breeding and roosting caves.
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This species is common and widespread, but the volcano swiftlet, if considered a separate species, is near-threatened. It occurs only on active volcanos in Java, with four definite sites and five likely but unconfirmed sites. Birdlife International estimates a total of under 400 birds for the known localities. Since this form nests in crater crevices, and all known localities are active volcanoes, colonies are believed to be susceptible to periodic extinction.
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Some populations such as those in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been harvested extensively leading to them being considered critically threatened under the IUCN criteria.R. Sankaran (2001) The status and conservation of the edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia fuciphaga) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Biological Conservation 97:283–294 The use of artificial bird houses is growing. A detailed account of modern nest farming and marketing techniques is given by David Jordan (2004).
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Most bird nests lie somewhere in the middle, with the majority building cup-shaped nests using some combination of mud, twigs and leaves, and feathers. Some birds, such flamingos and swifts, use saliva to help hold their nest together. The edible-nest swiftlet uses saliva alone to construct their nests. The rufous hornero nest is composed entirely of mud and feces, which is placed on tree branches to allow the sun to harden it into a usable structure.
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The Mariana swiftlet is considered to be Endangered. The population on Guam declined because of predation by brown tree snakes and the use of agricultural pesticides, though it is believed to have subsequently increased to an estimated 900 individuals in 2006. The population on Saipan was estimated in 2005 to consist of about 5400 individuals, though this population is at risk if the brown tree snake becomes establishment on the island. The estimated size of the Aguiguan population is about 400.
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The Mascarene swiftlet (Aerodramus francicus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found in Mauritius and Réunion, and the populations on the two islands have recently been confirmed to differ subspecifically. The nominate race francicus is found on Mauritius and the recently described race saffordi occurs on Réunion. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, caves, arable land, and heavily degraded former forest.
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The martin and the Mascarene Swiftlet occur on all the main islands, and are less vulnerable to the effects of human activities, especially since they can utilise houses for nest sites.Maggs (2009) pp. 10–12. In Mauritius, the Mascarene martin is legally protected as a "species of wildlife in respect of which more severe penalties are provided". It is illegal to kill any bird of the species or to take or destroy their nests under section 16 of the Wildlife and National Parks Act 1993.
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More recent cyclones, like one in 1980, seem to have had less damaging effects than the 1861 storm. Several species have been lost from the Mascarene islands since human colonisation in the seventeenth century, but the martin and the Mascarene swiftlet occur on all the main islands, and are less vulnerable to the effects of human activities, especially since they can utilise houses for nest sites.Maggs (2009) p. 10–12. The Brazza's martin is not a protected species in Angola,de Klemm & Lausche (1986) pp. 262–266.
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In recent years, intense development on routes connecting Lumut, Seri Manjung and Sitiawan have brought prosperity and pollution to what was once a relatively quiet town. The primary industries within Sitiawan are rubber production, manufacturing of rubber gloves, palm oil production, mineral ores, fishing, fisheries and shipbuilding. Around the year 2000, Sitiawan residents began to get involved in swiftlet bird breeding activity. This activity was partly attributed to the development of two major roads which indirectly "disconnect" Kampung Koh and Simpang Empat from traffic travelling to Lumut.
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Flamingo tongue was a highly prized dish in ancient Rome, but is not commonly eaten in modern times. Lobsters were considered poverty food in North America until the mid-19th century when they started being treated, as they were in Europe, as a delicacy. Some delicacies are confined to a certain culture, such as fugu in Japan, bird's nest soup (made out of swiftlet nests) in China, and ant larvae (escamoles) in Mexico or refer to specific local products, such as porcino, venison or anchovy.
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Chim Yen, the official mascot. The mascot of the games is a swiftlet named Chim Yen. Special characteristic of the southern central coastal region of Vietnam is famous for bird nest - a product of high economic value in general and a specialty of Da Nang in particular. The mascot is a stylized little boy with funny hair on the head, a small V-shaped tail (a characteristic of oats), holding a lit torch represents the spirit of unity, peace and health of human life.
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This 70 km long island chain is located on average around 15 km from the shore.Prostar Sailing Directions 2005 India & Bay of Bengal Enroute By National Geospatial- intelligence Agency The total combined area of dry land on the Moscos Islands is 49.19 km2. The islands are uninhabited, but fishermen from nearby coastal locations stay in temporary settlements on certain islands during the dry season. Traditionally these people have been engaging in fishing, timber felling and collection of sea turtle eggs, swiftlet nests and forest products.
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Such behavior is not known to occur in other species, but quite possibly does, given that the Papuan and Atiu swiftlets are not closely related. However, it has recently been determined that the echolocation vocalizations do not agree with evolutionary relationship between swiftlet species as suggested by DNA sequence comparison. This suggests that as in bats, echolocation sounds, once present, adapt rapidly and independently to the particular species' acoustic environment. Three hypotheses are considered to describe how echolocation evolved in the genus Aerodramus and, as determined more recently, other taxa in the Apodidae.
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The protected landscape park has rich flora and fauna owing to its location in the Sierra Madre range. It is a known birdwatching site that offers sightings of the endemic scale-feathered malkoha, grey-backed tailorbird, elegant tit, grey-rumped swiftlet, white- browed shama, crested honey buzzard, Philippine bulbul, feral pigeon, peregrine falcon and mangrove blue flycatcher. The park's vegetation resembles that of the adjacent Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape and comprises dipterocarp species characteristic of lowland forests such as tanguile, mayapis, bagtikan, white lauan and red lauan.
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In its natural range the swiftlet builds shallow nests high on the interior walls and ceilings of limestone caves, including sites in zones of complete darkness, in colonies of a few to several hundred birds. A single egg constitutes a clutch, but the birds may breed more than once a year. The swiftlets utter twittering and chirping sounds as well as the echolocation clicks used to navigate inside the nesting and roosting caves. Most birds in a colony leave their cave at dawn to forage, returning at sunset to roost.
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It serves as a habitat of wild fauna such as the Philippine deer, Philippine long-tailed macaque, Philippine warty pig, spotted wood kingfisher and pygmy swiftlet. First established as a watershed forest reserve with an area of through Proclamation No. 918 issued by President Corazón Aquino in 1992, the protected area is now a declared Protected Landscape under the National Integrated Protected Areas System with the issuance of Proclamation No. 278 in 2000 by President Joseph Estrada. The park is one of five protected areas in the province of Aurora.
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At least 22 bird species were recorded in and around the forest of Mount Batulao in 2004, the most common being the glossy swiftlet and barn swallow. The Wild Bird Club of the Philippines also documented the following avian residents of Batulao: blue-headed fantail, blue rock thrush, brown shrike, collared kingfisher, Philippine hanging parrot, elegant tit, long-tailed shrike, lowland white-eye, olive-backed sunbird, Philippine bulbul, Philippine coucal, Philippine fairy-bluebird, Philippine pygmy woodpecker, spotted wood kingfisher, striated grassbird, striated swallow, white-breasted woodswallow, white-browed shama, white-eared brown dove and yellow-vented bulbul.
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The sanctuary is an important bird area with 192 recorded avian species. Five Western Ghats endemic bird species occur here, including the grey-headed bulbul (Pycnonotus priocephalus), Indian rufous babbler (Turdoides subrufus) and white-bellied blue-flycatcher (Cyornis pallipes). Other interesting species found here include-Ceylon frogmouth (Batrachostomus moniliger), Indian edible-nest swiftlet (Collocalia unicolor), Malabar trogon (Harpactes fasciatus), Malabar whistling-thrush (Myiophonus horsfieldii) and Loten's sunbird (Nectarinia lotenia) (Islam and Rahmani 2004). A recent survey recorded the presence of the lesser fish eagle (Ichthyophaga humilis), which until recently was only known from the foothills of the Himalayas.
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Dried swiftlet nests ready for cooking A bowl of bird's nest soup The best-known use of edible birds nest is bird's nest soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. When dissolved in water, the birds' nests have a favored gelatinous texture utilized in soup or sweet soup (tong sui). It is mostly referred to as 燕窩 (yànwō) unless references are made to the savory or sweet soup in Chinese cuisine. According to the Ch'ing dynasty manual of gastronomy, the Suiyuan shidan, bird's nest was regarded as a delicate ingredient not to be flavored or cooked with anything overpowering or oily.
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It is also believed to strengthen the lungs and prevent coughs, improve the constitution and prolong life. The nutritional value of 100 g of dry nest includes 49.9 g of water-soluble protein (including amido nitrogen, monoamine nitrogen, non-amino nitrogen, arginine, humin, histidine, lysine and cysteine), 30.6 g carbohydrate (glycoprotein and mucin), 4.9 g iron, 2.5 g inorganic salt (including potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, phosphorus, silica and other trace elements), and 1.4 g fiber (Dictionary of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The History of Chinese Medicine and the Nutrition Table). The energy contained in 100 g of swiftlet nest is 345 kcal. The nests are often served simmered in chicken broth.
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The city also profits from tourism to nearby attractions in North Andaman, which include the Ross and Smith islands, the Saddle Peak National Park, the beaches at Ram Nagar, Kalipur, and Lamiya bay, and mud volcanoes. Ram Nagar beach ( away from Kalighat) is famous for sea turtle nesting from December to February. The first hydroelectric power station of the islands (5.25 MW) is set up in the Kalpong River. The Chalis Ek Caves (about due south of Diglipur, near the village of Pathi Level) and the Alfred Caves are a major nesting ground for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are exported to China for bird's nest soup.
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With the early Chinese traders settlement around the river mouth area, the name "Kina Batañgan" has been used by indigenous people with the word "Kina" itself is a reference by indigenous Dusun for the Chinese people. The Orang Sungai traditionally lived along the river banks and of mixed ancestry including Dusun, Suluk, Bugis, Bajau as well the Chinese. The earliest Chinese traders settlement on the banks of Kinabatangan River has been established since the 7th century where they trade in edible-nest swiftlet, beeswax, rattan and ivory. In the 15th century, a sister of the Chinese Kinabatangan settlement leader married with the Sultan of Brunei.
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Half a century later, a large collection of small mammals was collected by an expedition led by the Filipino biologist Dioscoro S. Rabor.Losing Diversity and Courting Disaster: The Mammals of Mt. Data National Park door Lawrence R. Heaney, Danilo S. Balete, Joel Sarmiento, en Phillip Alviola, Haribon.org Retrieved 13 June 2007 Some of these mammals are Carpomys melanurus (short-footed Luzon tree rat) and Carpomys phaeurus (white-bellied Luzon tree rat). In addition to several rare species of mammals, there are also some bird species like the Collocalia whiteheadi (Whitehead's swiftlet), which was only known then from a specimen that was caught during the expedition of John Whitehead on the mountain.
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White-rumped swiftlet in flight Aerodramus swiftlets are in many respects typical swifts, having narrow wings for fast flight, and a wide gape and small reduced beak surrounded by bristles for catching insects in flight. They have dull plumage which is mainly in shades of black, brown, and grey. Members of this genus typically have dark brown upper wings and upper body, sometimes with a paler rump, light brown underparts, a paler throat, and brownish-white under-wings with dark brown "armpits". Males and female plumages are similar in appearance, as is that of the juvenile, for those species for which it has been described; in some species the juvenile shows pale fringes to the flight feathers.
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As many as twelve bird species are believed to have been driven to extinction. However, some of the birds still thrive and are common on other islands at the subspecies level in the Marianas, including Saipan. According to many elders, ko'ko' birds were common in Guam before World War II. Other bird species threatened by the brown tree snake include the Mariana crow, the Mariana swiftlet, and the Micronesian starling, though populations are present on other islands, including Rota. Guam is said to have many more insects and 40 times more spiders than neighboring islands, because their natural predators birds are severely diminished, and the forests are almost completely silent due to lack of birdsong.
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Jennifer Felicity Mary Horne (died 5 October 2008 in Nanyuki, Kenya) also known as Jenny Horne or after her marriage as Jennifer Horne-Short was a Kenyan ornithologist and bioacoustican. During a BOU financed expedition in 1973 and 1974 she spent on the Mascarenes where she made the first complete voice recording study of all endemic land birds including the Réunion harrier, the echo parakeet, the Mauritius kestrel, the Mauritius pink pigeon, the Mascarene swiftlet, and the Mascarene swallow. In 1974 she teamed up with Colin Groves in the Tana River floodplain where they studied the endangered Tana River red colobus and the Tana River mangabey. In 1978 she married ornithologist Lester L. Short.
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The structure of an agarose polymer. Agar may have been discovered in Japan in 1658 by Mino Tarōzaemon (), an innkeeper in current Fushimi-ku, Kyoto who, according to legend, was said to have discarded surplus seaweed soup and noticed that it gelled later after a winter night's freezing. Over the following centuries, agar became a common gelling agent in several Southeast Asian cuisines. Agar was first subjected to chemical analysis in 1859 by the French chemist Anselme Payen, who had obtained agar from the marine algae Gelidium corneum.Payen, Anselme (1859) "Sur la gélose et le nids de salangane" (On agar and swiftlet nests), Comptes rendus …, 49 : 521–530, appended remarks 530–532.
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Apart from water birds, other birdlife like black-rumped flameback, woodpecker, rose ringed parakeet, black drongo, paddyfield pipit, blue jay, golden oriole, common mynah, Eurasian hoopoe, Indian swiftlet, swallow, coppersmith barbet, green bee-eater, blue- tailed bee-eater, Asian koel, Jacobin cuckoo, coucal and rufous treepie occur here. Birds of prey or raptors such as spotted owlet, black kite, shikra, black-winged kite are to be seen. Threatened reptiles like Indian flapshell turtle, water snakes such as checkered keelback, olive keelback, striped keelback and tree snakes like Daudin's bronzeback and green vine snake and land snakes like common wolf snake, streaked kukri snake and the Oriental ratsnake are found. Even venomous ones like spectacled cobra and common krait occur here, but are rather rare.
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Among land birds, bird species disappeared from Lakeba in prehistoric times, probably after the upland forests were largely cleared away; introduced rats as well as hunting probably also contributed to their demise. Others managed to adapt to the alteration of habitat by humans, though they are generally not as common as on Aiwa where there has been no significant deforestation. For the most part, the avifauna of Lakeba is more similar to that of Samoa and Tonga than to that of the main group of Fiji. Quite commonly seen are the white-rumped swiftlet (Collocalia spodiopygia), Polynesian starling, (Aplonis tabuensis, either the West Fijian subspecies vitiensis or the subspecies tabuensis from the southern Lau group and Tonga), Vanikoro flycatcher (Myiagra vanikorensis), and the slaty monarch (Mayrornis lessoni) which is endemic to Fiji.
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These continuously changing woodlands do not have a great variety of mammals, although the greater sheath- tailed bat (Emballonura furax) is a near-endemic. Many species of birds also inhabit these forests including the New Guinea flightless rail, while endemic or near-endemic birds include the red-billed brush-turkey, Wallace's fruit- dove, western crowned pigeon, Salvadori's fig parrot, black lory, brown lory, Papuan swiftlet, red-breasted paradise-kingfisher, white-bellied pitohui, and the olive-crowned flowerpecker. Reptiles recorded from the New Guinea mangroves on Daru and Bobo (Bristow) Islands, Western Province, PNG, during survey work were the estuarine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), littoral skink (Emoia atrocostata), mangrove monitor (Varanus indicus), amethystine python (Morelia amethistina), crab-eating mangrove snake (Fordonia leucobalia), and Richardson's mangrove snake (Myron richardsonii). All are species strongly associated with southern New Guinea mangroves.
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A male spotted wood kingfisher at the La Mesa Watershed Reservation The La Mesa Watershed comprises a variety of ecosystems that is home to many indigenous and endemic species of flora and fauna. Approximately are under forest cover and are open areas, pastures and areas under cultivation. Several portions of the La Mesa reservoir are shallow with exposed mudflats, swampforest, reed and other swamp vegetation. Its forest serves as an important breeding area for a variety of wildlife species and birds such as the little heron, black-crowned night heron, osprey, Japanese sparrowhawk, plain bush-hen, common moorhen, Eurasian coot, Philippine coucal, Philippine nightjar, island swiftlet, spotted wood kingfisher, common kingfisher, white-collared kingfisher, Philippine pygmy woodpecker, barn swallow, pied triller, ashy minivet, Philippine bulbul, black-naped oriole, Oriental magpie robin, Arctic warbler, grey-streaked flycatcher, pied fantail, yellow-bellied whistler, grey wagtail, brown shrike, olive-backed sunbird, and lowland white-eye.
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