VOL. 12 (5) MARCH 1988 BARTRAM: Glossy at Iron Range 165

A esculenta at Iron Range, Queensland

On 6 April 1980 between 1000 and 1100 h I saw a lone Glossy Swiftlet Collocalia esculenta three or four kilometres north of the Lockhart River airstrip on the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland (12 °45'S, 143 ~5'E). It flew southwards over a creek, and then over savanna woodland parallel to the main Lockhart River-Iron Range road. The swiftlet was in view for about 10-15 seconds, and within this time satisfactory views of both the upper and under surfaces were obtained. Good, sunny light conditions prevailed at the tinle of the sighting. It flew just over the tree-tops, and probably averaged about 10 to 20 metres above the ground, quite close to where I was standing. To say that the was only 25 feet overhead at its closest approach as quoted in my field notes was probably an underestimate, most likely it was at least 15 metres away at best, probably slightly farther, but still quite close. I was already very familiar with the White-rumped Swiftlet C. spodiopygia at the time of this sighting, and saw many subsequently at Iron Range.

Figure 1. Sketch of Glossy Swiftlet at Lockhart River, Cape York, 6 April 1980. Drawing: Kevin Bartram AUSTRALIAN 166 BARTRAM: Glossy Swiftlet at Iron Range BIRD WATCHER

This is my only field experience of the Glossy Swiftlet, and I was the only person to see this bird. However, Glossy are morphologically quite different from other swiftlets, and the view obtained was quite conclusive. Original field notes were unfortunately lost, however I have a good memory for , and feel confident that the re-written notes were as accurate as possible. The field description was re-written about two weeks after the sighting. Description (interpreted from notes and sketches): upperparts without a white rump, totally glossy black above, including head. All of head and upper chest glossy black. Belly white, very strongly contrasting with the black hood. Transitional area between black hood and white belly mottled and spotted black. Under-wing black. Tail long and wedge-shaped, with an obvious notch or fork in the central tail feathers. Tail black above and below, including under tail coverts. Transitional area between white belly and tail coverts rather mottled. Shape, proportions, size and flight action in general seemed quite similar to the White-romped Swiftlet. Glossy Swiftlets are rather easy to identify compared to other swiftlets, unlike the obscure C. vanikorensis, which is similar to many other grey swiftlets. If sufficient views are obtained, then the Glossy Swiftlet is easily identified from the White-romped by its uniform glossy blue-black upperparts lacking a pale rump, and white belly contrasting with the black hood. The White-romped Swiftlet has greyer upperparts with a contrasting paler grey-white rump and a grey rather than white belly. I am aware that some White-romped Swiftlets can show very contrasting underparts in strange light conditions, but the belly would never show the same magnitude of contrast this bird showed. The glossy black upperpart colouration is a diagnostic character of this , along with the contrasting white belly. A search through the literature, including Coates (1986) and King et al. (1975), satisfies me that no other swiftlet is similar morphologically to the Glossy Swiftlet. The photograph in Coates (1986) of a Glossy Swiftlet from fits my description fairly well in both plumage and shape, although it appears a little shorter­ tailed than illustrated in my sketch (Figure 1). There are only three published records of this species for . The first confirmed record for Australia was a specimen that was sent to Mathews through Clifford Coles and Neville W. Cayley (Mathews 1936). This specimen was collected at Cape York, Queensland by Mr. Flood before June 1929. The other published records concern sight records at Iron Range, Cape York, Queensland (McKean 1967) and Eungella National Park, Queensland (Boles & Barry 1975). J. L. McKean reports that on January 24, 1966 he observed c. 40 birds in the company of hundreds of C. spodiopygia. Although the actual description of the Glossy Swiftlet is very brief, the sighting appears reliable. Other records of this species have been reported for Australia, but are unpublished (Blakers et al. 1984). Despite there only being a few records of Glossy Swiftlet for Australia I think that further field work in northern Queensland, especially Cape York, may prove that this species is not an infrequent visitor. References Blakers, M., Davies, S.J.J.F. & Reilly, P.N. (1984), The Atlas ofAustralian Birds, Melbourne University Press, Carlton, Victoria. Boles, W.E. & Barry, D. (1975), 'Glossy Swiftlet at Eungella National Park, Queensland', Sunbird 6, 97-98. Coates, B.J. (1985), The Birds of , volwne 1, Dove Publications, Alderley. King, B., Woodcock, M . & Dickinson, E.C. (1975), A Field Guide to the Birds of South-&st , Collins, Glasgow. McKean, J.L. (1967), 'A sight observation of the Glossy Swiftlet at Cape York, Queensland', Emu 61, 98. Mathews, G.M. (1936), Suppl. Birds ofNorfolk and Lord Howe Islands, The Birds ofAustralia , Witherby, London. By KEVIN BARTRAM, 111188 Barkly Street, St Kilda, Victoria 3182 •