| Drab swiftlet | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Strisores |
| Order: | Apodiformes |
| Family: | Apodidae |
| Genus: | Collocalia |
| Species: | C. neglecta |
| Binomial name | |
| Collocalia neglecta Gray, GR, 1866 | |
| Synonyms | |
Collocalia esculenta neglecta | |
Thedrab swiftlet (Collocalia neglecta) is a small bird in theswiftfamilyApodidae. It isendemic to theLesser Sunda Islands inIndonesia. It was formerly treated as asubspecies of theglossy swiftlet.
The drab swiftlet wasdescribed by the English zoologistGeorge Robert Gray in 1866 under thebinomial nameCollocalia neglecta. Thetype locality is the island ofTimor in theLesser Sunda Islands.[1][2] Thespecific epithetneglecta is from the Latinneglectus meaning "ignored", "overlooked" or "neglected".[3] It was formerly treated as asubspecies of theglossy swiftlet but was raised to species status based on a detailed analysis of the swiftlets in the genusCollocalia published in 2017.[4][5]
There are two subspecies:[5]
The drab swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail.[7] It has a satin grayish-blue back with slightly glossy crown and tail. The throat and the upper breast is a mid-gray with a lighter margin to the feathers. The lower breast, flanks and belly are white but the rump is dark. There are dull white spots on the inner webs of the tail feathers. Most birds have a tuft of feathers on the hallux, the rear facing toe. Subspeciesperneglecta is darker and has more gloss on the feathers.[4]