Submission No 238: House Swift Apus affinis, Edgeworth, NSW. 24 December 1997.

Verdict: Not Accepted

An unusual record report form was presented to the committee detailing the sighting of ten swifts observed in flight in association with Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus and White-throated Needletail Hirundapus caudacutus in a suburban area of Edgeworth, near Newcastle, NSW 24 December 1997. The birds were in view for approximately 10 minutes as they hawked insects.

The description and sketch provided describe the birds as the same size as Fork-tailed Swift being generally bluish-black in colour with a pronounced white throat and a clear white rump about 25mm wide extending slightly on to the sides. The wings were broad somewhat short and perhaps paler below. The tail was described as being square shaped (although rounded when fanned) slightly notched in the centre and longer tailed than nearby White-throated Needletail.

In spite of the very short description it was agreed that the size, shape and colour instantly rules out the more familiar martins, swallows and swiftlets. Of concern perhaps was the size estimation which was stated to be similar to compared Fork-tailed Swift. House Swift is a markedly smaller bird than Fork-tailed, Chandler & Driessens (1995) give a total length of House Swift as 15cm and Fork-tailed Swift 17- 18cm, with Fork-tailed described as being much larger, longer winged, longer tailed and more powerful than House Swift, with a very different jizz. It was noted by one committee member that the pronounced white throat supports but does not substantiate House Swift, in fact Fork-tailed Swift can show a bold white throat in certain light conditions. The description of the tail however is supportive but there is little in the description to eliminate Fork-tailed conclusively in this regard. In summary the committee determined after two rounds of voting not to accept this record primarily due to a lack of corroborating evidence. Field notes or photographs were not available to support the Unusual Record Report Form. Although it was agreed that there was certainly a possibility that this record may indeed reflect a sighting of House Swifts.

It is also worth pointing out that to date there are no confirmed records for NSW.

References and Bibliography

• Chantler, P. and S. Driessens. 1995. Swifts: a Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. Pica Press, Sussex.

Tony Palliser
Chairman Birds Australia Rarities Committee (BARC)