birding-aus re: Rarity Committee files - Red-rumped Swallows

[Tony Palliser <>]

>
>Good point from David James about the possibility of some of the
>Red-rumped Swallows being Striated Swallows. I sent a description
of one
>I saw in Feb 99 to the committee and queried whether they knew enough
to
>tell it from Striated Swallow, in which case please advise! The only
>Australian specimen of Red-rumped was picked up dead by Mike Carter,
and
>proved to be of the Japanese race. I'd dearly like to know how to
>separate them in the field, the literature is very confusing and all
our
>New Guinea records are basically either Red-rumped or Striated Swallows
>until the field characters get sorted out.
>Why are the files confidential though? Surely this is a classic case
>where transparency should be the order of the day, perhaps just
>abstracting the relevant descriptions and correspondence as appropriate.
>Over to Tony Palliser.......
>Phil Gregory

Phil,
As you say this group is particularly difficult and I have to admit that I
am not an expert on the subject of striolata / daurica separation having
only ever seen Red-rumped Swallows at a handful of locations around Asia
and Irian Jaya, although I did manage to see the Mossman birds in 1983 and
a few more South of Cairn's in 1987.  In fact many believe that some birds
cannot be reliably identified in the field.

Mike Carter has I understand been doing a bit of homework on the matter and
may well have some of the answers on the way.  And indeed the recent
sightings from WA and Christmas Island may also shed some light on the subject.
I have heard that the WA specimen is again H. daurica japonica.

>Why are the files confidential though? Surely this is a classic case
>where transparency should be the order of the day, perhaps just
>abstracting the relevant descriptions and correspondence as appropriate.
>Over to Tony Palliser.......
>Phil Gregory
 

BARC (Birds Australia Rarities Committee) files are treated as confidential
to protect committee members and in some cases the submitter(s) too.  To
make'public' members comments, particularly in cases of non-accept would
create all manner of difficulties and this is why BARC produces a summary
of decisions made.  And indeed the results of submission No.50 relating to
the sighting of Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica from Mossman, QLD,
12-February-1983 (AUSTRALIAN BIRDWATCHER 10: 251-254) have been
published as part of the RAOU RECORDS APPRAISAL COMMITTEE
OPINIONS AND CASE SUMMARIES 1988-1991 by R.M. Patterson. RAOU
Report No. 80, November 1991.
 

Summary for Case 50 repeated here for the benefit of those interested:

Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica; Mossman, QLD, 12-February-1983
(AUSTRALIAN BIRDWATCHER 10: 251-254)

Unanimously Accepted.

This case involves observations of up to nine individuals near the Daintree
River crossing between 12 February and 11 March 1983.  Field notes from two
observers were made available to the RAC in addition to those supporting
the published record, allowing a very accurate description of the birds to
be compiled.

The following features were noted: forehead and crown to centre nape glossy
blue-black; lores and ear-coverts russet, extending to sides of neck and
forming a nuchal band broken at the centre nape, with fine streaking on
anterior ear-coverts; dorsum and tail glossy blue-black, apart from back
and rump bright russet with no visible streaking, extending marginally on
to upper tail-coverts; wings glossy blue-black with white outer edges to
tertials and primaries; throat to vent buff-white finely streaked dark
brown, whiter on chin and upper throat; flanks richer buff; undertail and
coverts black; underwing and remiges black with pale buff coverts finely
streaked along the leading-edges; all soft parts blackish. Many but not all
of the birds showed long tail streamers.

The importance of a detailed description allowing if possible
identification to subspecific level, lies in the present taxonomic
uncertainty on the separation of the daurica and striolata groups into full
species. The crucial features of the birds observed are the presence of a
nuchal band, absence of streaking on the rump and absence of a thigh patch,
which in combination effectively rule out the striolata group.  Though
there are minor inconsistences in the published literature, the plumage
features noted favour either of erythopygia or nipalensis as is indicated
in the published record, with the former tending to provide the 'best fit'.
Pending further taxonomic advances in the separation of this difficult
group of subspecies, we accept the record as Hirundo daurica.
 

Best Regards
Tony Palliser
 
 
 

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