| Case Summary for:
Submission No 362: Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Daintree
River Crossing, QLD. 13th January 2002 (Unpublished). Submitted by: Rohan
Clarke & Del Richards Verdict: Accepted This submission concerns a single Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica seen on the 13 January 2002 near the Daintree River Ferry Crossing, North QLD. The bird was located at approximately 1700 EST in association with Fairy Martins H. ariel and Tree Martins H. nigricans. A summary of the circumstances surrounding the sighting along with a copy of the notes and a sketch has been supplied as supporting evidence. Photographs were not available. The bird differed from the more familiar Barn Swallows H. rustica and Welcome Swallows H. neoxena by its longer more 'cigar' shaped body and deeply forked tail with long tail streamers. Dorsally the bird was essentially glossy blue-back. The rump was rich rufous with very faint streaking. There was no nuchal collar, however some blue-black feathers in this area were weakly pale-tipped. The ear coverts were pale rufous and lightly streaked. Ventrally the bird displayed a cream throat and breast, the latter showing moderate dark vertical streaks. A rufous smudge was also visible on the sides of the breast just forward of the closed wing. The belly and vent were mostly obscured by the powerline on which the bird perched, but appeared to be pale cream. Underwing coverts were seen well when the bird stretched its wings while perched. They were tinged rufous and lightly streaked. No dark flank patch was present. The undertail was black. As stated in the submission these features identify the bird as a Red-rumped Swallow H. daurica and concur with the Carter (2000), features that separate the migrant race of Red-rumped Swallow from the race of Striated Swallow resident immediately to our north in South East Asia. The absence of a nuchal collar suggests this bird was referable to the subspecies H.d. japonica as this form is said to have the least developed nuchal band of the daurica group. Committee members agreed with the observers that this bird was undoubtedly a Red-rumped Swallow but failed to reach a unanimous decision regarding the race. Some members pointed out that there is still a possibility that races may inter-grade and that more information is required before adopting an approach of identifying individuals to subspecies. This record represents the 9th confirmed Australian record to be accepted by BARC.
· Carter, M. 2000. Identification of Red-rumped and Striated Swallows
Hirundo daurica and H. striolata in Australasia. Australian Birding
6 (2): 9-18.
Tony Palliser
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