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Photo Guide 1 In association with 01707 871350 • www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics Identification COMMON AND PALLID SWIFTS PHOTO GUIDE 1 Andy Stoddart Spring into summer, and again in late autumn, are times in which the familiar Common Swift has to be separated from Pallid Swift, its rarer southern congener, which probably occurs here more often than is currently known. Close not only in plumage but genetics as well, the species pair is one of the trickiest in British birding, but with good views, close comparison and experience, the two are identifiable in the field by the conscientious birder. Andy Stoddart takes a DAVID KJAER (WWW.DAVIDKJAER.COM) KJAER DAVID fresh look to establish 1 Juvenile Common Swift (Aylesbury, Bucks, mid-July 2002). Perched, Common Swift looks black and sooty with a restricted pale area on the forehead and throat. The plumage the definitive otherwise is uniform overall, lacking obvious areas of contrast, but juveniles like this show a distinctive head pattern and have narrow but clear-cut pale edges to the wing feathers. identification criteria. ▼ WWW.BIRDWATCH.CO.UK MAY 2012 • BIRDWATCH 41 Identification In association with 01707 871350 • www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics BASIC PRINCIPLES f the many ‘species no swift can be identified, pair’ problems to even provisionally, on the confront a British basis of probability. Common Oobserver, this duo Swifts occur in the same has to be one of the most weather conditions which troublesome. Common Swift is, bring Pallids, so each bird has of course, a well-known bird, to be examined closely on its widespread and common own merits. Conversely, GERALD DRIESSENS/CHRISTOPHER HELM Adult nominate Common Swift (left) and adult brehmorum Pallid Swift throughout most of Britain and a between early May and (right). Note the broader area of dark underwing coverts in Common and familiar sight in our summer September the overwhelming the generally more broken appearance of the wing pattern in Pallid. skies. However, familiarity majority of swifts will be should not breed contempt. Commons and picking out a Pallid, common sense has the dark eye shading. The Only those intimately acquainted Pallid will then be a matter of returned and the Rarities underbody of adults is very with Common Swift will stand real persistence, skill and luck. Committee is now taking a lightly scaled in spring, but of much chance of nailing a Pallid, commendably tough line with course juveniles of both species and while we might think we Field characters the species. Nevertheless, are scaled below. Pallid Swift know our spring birds well, Common and Pallid Swifts are although some swifts must be should also show something of what about the browner, scaly very similar in both plumage left unidentified due to a contrast between a darker juveniles of late summer and and structure and, of course, inadequate views, with patience, mantle and wing coverts, paler autumn? Do we really pay them both are famously fast and experience and a clear head, secondaries and inner primaries that much attention? mobile. We may see them only many should prove identifiable. and dark outer primaries. Pallid Swift is, by contrast, a as a brief fly-by or as a pinprick So, what are the key real rarity, with only around 75 in the sky, and they can range identification features? Other forms records in Britain to date, almost rapidly over large distances. Structurally, Pallid Swift is a A final fly in the ointment is all since 1999. Most turn up in Identification comes down to slightly chunkier bird, most the potential occurrence of late October and November, and the evaluation of subtle obviously so in the breadth of other swift forms. Other forms their appearance is now structural characters and its body and its head. Head on, of Pallid Swift such as the somewhat predictable. plumage hues which are slight it can appear rather wide faced, darker illyricus from the Adriatic They occur in the warm and change with the flight while the body is stocky, and the paler more southerly sectors of Atlantic low-pressure mode and angle of light, and are including the rear body behind and easterly pallidus could occur. areas, arriving in Britain in the therefore hard to interpret. Low the wings. The tail fork is also And what of pekinensis Common strong mild south-westerly down, in flat light and against a relatively shallow and blunt. Swift? Although unrecorded in winds which follow the dark background, plumage hues Pallid Swift also appears Britain, it has a huge northern passage of a warm front. can be easier to evaluate, but slightly broader in the hand Asian range from Iran Their origin is presumably high in a bright sky or on a drab and more blunt winged, with a eastwards and, given the Iberian or North African – March or November day such slightly slower, heavier and vagrancy history of other meaning they are of the form subtleties can disappear, and more mechanical wing action. swifts, it must surely have brehmorum – but they are not any swift will just look dark. In terms of plumage, Pallid occurred already. The chances generally found on south- Nor are photographs a Swift is a paler, more milky of nailing one in the field must west-facing coasts. Moving ‘magic bullet’. A series of brown. The white throat patch be slim, but perhaps any rapidly across the country, images might present a whole is large and blurry at the edges slightly pale-looking swift they are located when they variety of confusing and the forehead patch is also trapped or found dead should reach the east coast. impressions, rendering the large, both features accentuating be examined with great care. ■ Increasingly, however, same bird sometimes dark and Pallid Swifts are being found sharp winged, at other times Further reading in spring as well, especially in paler and more blunt winged, Swifts: a Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the the South and South-West, and while a single image can be World by Phil Chantler and Gerald Driessens (£35) this is a bird which could now even less helpful. Photographs This highly acclaimed work provides an excellent turn up almost anywhere. are even more likely than the overview of swift identification and distribution. The Interestingly, spring birds have human eye to record partial, second edition has been extensively revised to take recently been found as early as and therefore potentially account of recent information. Available for just £29.99, late March, although records misleading, impressions. or £27.99 to subscribers (inc UK p&p). See page 65. continue through into June. Needless to say, Pallid Swift is Looking for birding books at The identification context is a nightmare for record assessors! therefore very different After a brief ‘free-for-all’ period discount prices? Then visit: depending on the date. In when pretty much any late Bookshop birdwatch.co.uk early spring and late autumn, autumn swift was hailed as a 42 BIRDWATCH • MAY 2012 WWW.BIRDWATCH.CO.UK In association with 01707 871350 • www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics Identification 2 RAN SCHOLS (WWW.PBASE.COM/RANSCHOLS) RAN SCHOLS 2 Adult Common Swift (Meers, The Netherlands, 15 June 2008). This image is a good example of how light can affect a bird’s appearance. In warm sunshine, it looks more brown than black, but the overall plumage is uniform and the forehead and throat patches are small and lack prominence. In terms of structure, the rear body looks typically narrow and the tail fork is also slim, while the outer wing looks slim and very pointed. 3 STEVE YOUNG (WWW.BIRDSONFILM.COM) YOUNG STEVE 3 Adult Pallid Swift (Seaforth, Lancs, 6 May 2009). This looks like a subtly but genuinely paler bird than above, even though viewed against the light. The forehead and throat patches are hard to see at this angle but the underbody is clearly very scaled. As for structure, this bird looks convincingly broad bodied and solid, with a broad rear body behind the wings, while the outer wing looks subtly broader than on Common Swift. ▼ WWW.BIRDWATCH.CO.UK MAY 2012 • BIRDWATCH 43 Identification In association with 01707 871350 • www.zeiss.co.uk/sportsoptics 4 6 BILL BASTON (WWW.BILLBASTON.COM) BASTON BILL DANIELE OCCHIATO (WWW.AGAMI.NL) 4 Adult Common Swift (Lower Layham, Suffolk, 15 July 2005). The 6 Pallid Swift (Amato, Italy, 23 August 2008). This beautiful portrait camera has caught this bird while banking, thereby giving a shows off the features of Pallid Swift to perfection. The outer wing can misleading impression of a somewhat broad-bodied and broad- be seen to be rather broad and the wing-tip somewhat blunt. The winged structure. In terms of plumage, the bird is uniformly dark and throat patch is very extensive and diffuse, while the underparts are sooty with no hint of milky brown hues, and the throat patch is both strongly scaled. Overall it is a beautiful pale milk chocolate colour. If tiny and lacking in contrast. only all Pallid Swifts could be seen this well! 5 7 RAN SCHOLS (WWW.AGAMI.NL) RESZETER GEORGE 5 Adult Common Swift (Meers, The Netherlands, 9 June 2008). This 7 Pallid Swift (Ronda, Spain, 15 June 2008). Though superficially bird appears broad headed and therefore Pallid Swift-like, but merely has similar to the bird in photo 5, this individual looks chunkier in the body, inflated its throat feathers, exaggerating their prominence. It is also scaled especially behind the wing, and the tail fork looks broad. The outer wing below, again inviting confusion with Pallid Swift, but it is a dark blackish is also suitably broad and blunt ended.
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