ML168663421

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***mega (2nd North American record following 2 birds that lingered in Key West, Monroe Co., Florida from 7 July-13 August 1972) This bird was first reported by Shirley Wilkerson on eBird two days prior (July 15) to this sighting. The bird was first spotted by other birders today around 08:05 over Peachtree Ave., and spent most of its time around the Peachtree Ave. x Morton St. intersection. This was a small swift (obviously smaller than Barn Swallow in direct comparison), reminiscent of Old World Aerodramus swiftlets in flight style and tail shape, and noticeably shorter-tailed with a higher degre of contrast than the widespread Fork-tailed Palm-Swift of northern lowland South America. The forked tail showed various degrees of fork depending on tail spread/ angle, and the dark gray-black upperparts contrasted with the dull white throat, breast, and belly. The dark tail and vent extended to the lower belly. Dusky gray flanks connected across chest, giving the bird a vested appearance, and large white "saddlebags" on the side of the rump extend well onto the upperside of the rump. Clearly, the closest population of Antillean Palm-Swifts to Florida is in Cuba (just over 100 miles from Grassy Key), the subspecies iradii. In a cursory comparison of Macaulay Library photos of Antillean Palm-Swift from Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica, the current Florida bird seems most like the Cuban birds in its long body + tail projection beyond the wings (there are only a few poor photos of the species from Haiti). The current Florida bird also shows a tail fork that seems deeper than the Macaulay Library birds from the Dominican Republic and Jamaica (and most of the photos from Cuba, for that matter). Furthermore, the current Florida bird has more extensive pale on the underparts than birds I've seen and photographed in the Dominican Republic and Jamaica (in Jan-Mar). Neotropical Birds Online (Damaj 2014) reports that Cuban Antillean Palm-Swift (ssp. iradii) is "Similar to nominate phoenicobia, but 'tail more deeply forked; back averaging much more sooty (less black), color of sides averaging decidedly paler, and sides of head more extensively grayish brown; averaging larger' (Ridgway 1911)." [Ridgway 1911 is: Ridgway, R. 1911. The birds of North and Middle America. Part V. Bulletin of the United States National Museum 50, part 5.] In "Rare Birds of North America" (2014), Howell et al. state that "Cuban origin seems likely on geographic grounds" and discuss differences in the depth of the tail fork (Cuban birds have a deeper tail fork than those from Hispaniola and Jamaica).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

1250

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/3200 sec

Dimensions

1496 pixels x 1000 pixels

Original file size

774.06 KB