Hirundo pacifica Latham, Index Orn. Suppl. (1801), 58.
Micropus pacificus Hartert, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1892), 16, 448.
Cypselus pacificus Sharpe, Hand-List (1900), 2, 96; McGregor,
Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 339 and 346, pls. 4 & 5,
fig. 1; Oates and Reid, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1903), 3, 81.
Batan (McGregor, Mearns); Camiguin N. (McGregor). Eastern Siberia,
China, Japan, Formosa, Burmese provinces, Assam, Manipur; in
winter to Australia.
Adult.--General color blackish brown; a broad rump-band white, its
feathers with brown shafts; upper parts with a slight oil-green gloss;
loral feathers white with black tips; chin and throat white with narrow
dusky shaft-lines; sides of head and neck light dingy brown; under
parts and under wing-coverts brown, each feather with a wide white
fringe and a deep brown subterminal band; under tail-coverts narrowly
fringed with white. Iris brown; bill and nails black; feet blackish
brown. Length, 184 to 190. A male measures: Wing, 182; tail, 77;
depth of fork, 29; bill from frontal feathers, 7. A female measures:
Wing, 178; tail, 77; depth of fork, 29; bill from frontal feathers, 8.
This handsome swift was observed in large numbers on Batan Island and
all of our specimens were killed within the town of Santo Domingo
de Basco. Near the summit of Mount Araya (1,160 meters) numbers of
these birds were seen in their graceful and powerful flight.