Moustached Treeswift Hemiprocne mystacea Scientific name definitions

28–31 cm; 56–79 g. Only slightly crested. No other treeswift shares range; differs from Pacific Swift (Apus pacificus) in having deeper-forked, longer tail , no white on throat or rump, striking head pattern, and different flight action (1 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Male has two bold white facial stripes contrasting with glossy black cap and black face, with lower ear-coverts variably dark chestnut; rest of body blue-grey , paler below, with usually white central belly to undertail-coverts. Female differs only in having dark blackish-green ear-coverts. Juvenile head and body feathers complexly zoned black, rufous, buff and white, generally black-based dorsally and anteriorly, with cream-rufous forehead, lateral coronal bands and malar stripes, and with rear underparts cream-based. Races differ mainly in size and in body colour: all others smaller than mainland nominate, <em>confirmata</em> otherwise similar (wing 208–236 mm, versus 221–237 mm in nominate) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); aeroplanes (wing 209–230 mm) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) and <em>macrura</em> (wing 216–226 mm) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) have less white on vent , latter also particularly long-tailed (188–203 mm, versus 164–197 mm in nominate) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) and has slightly paler grey upperparts (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); <em>woodfordiana</em> (wing 195–217 mm) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ) and carbonaria smallest and with uniformly dark body, though some <em>woodfordiana</em> have small amounts of white on undertail-coverts (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

High emergent crowns in mangroves and beach-strand woodland, scattered trees and groves, and edge of inland forest (gallery forest in savanna areas) overlooking open country and along rivers that broadly break the canopy. From sea-level to 1580 m, but only to 450 m on Halmahera, 700 m on Buru and 750 m on Seram (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); a casualty recovered from ice at 4400 m in the Carstensz range (Irian Jaya).

Locally dispersive resident, but perhaps nomadic in some areas; movements little studied.

Mainly crepuscular, being most frequently observed feeding at dawn and dusk, sometimes even in darkness; more irregularly during rest of day (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Takes flying arthropods, including bees, ants, hemipteran bugs and beetles, in length range 6–18 mm. As is typical of the family, forages from bare, exposed perches at the top or outer edge of canopy; launches often-long sorties into free airspace, including well above the canopy, returning each time to the favoured crown, but sometimes observed hawking insects just above ground-level (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Usually forages in small flocks of 10–20 individuals, more occasionally up to several hundred, exceptionally as many as 2000 birds (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Various calls described, the most typical apparently being a shrill, downward-inflected “kiiee”, “whiiee” or similar, with a somewhat raptor-like quality, as well as an ascending, high-pitched and upslurred “owi-wi-wi-wi”, also with a hawk-like cadence (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), tern like “ki-ki-” and harsh chattering “cha-cha-cha-” (1 Dutson, G. (2011). Birds of Melanesia: The Bismarcks, Solomons, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); two, perhaps additional, calls described from observations in C New Britain, namely a sharp descending “peeu” (mainly when perched) and a series of (usually four) ascending squeaking notes (in flight) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ).

Active nests recorded in all months except Mar; season locally variable (e.g. middle to end of dry season around Port Moresby, but in some areas during wet season) (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), can be long. Nesting is dispersed, and pairs believed to be territorial, at least around the nest-site. Copulates on perch (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ). Nest a tiny saucer of feathers and plant material incorporated in hardened saliva, fixed on the top of a high (once 12 m above ground) (3 Bishop, K. D. (1992). New and interesting records of birds in Wallacea. Kukila 6(1):8–34. Close ), horizontal branch (no bracket nest described), but occasionally on near-vertical surface (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); simulates a small knot and, as with congeners, is completely hidden by the sitting adult. Lays one egg, size 29–33 mm × 20–21 mm (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ); both sexes incubate, with the off-duty bird perching immediately adjacent to (but without touching) the incubating bird (2 Chantler, P., and G. Driessens (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. 2nd edition. Pica Press, Robertsbridge, UK. Close ), but most brooding of the young chick is by female; combined incubation and fledging period in excess of 60 days. A record of possible second brood, at same nest, in Port Moresby area.

Not globally threatened. Relatively common generally, with no hint yet that any race is threatened, although some individual Wallacean island populations may be under pressure. The mainland New Guinea range still carries an immense extent of suitable habitat, and the species’ capacity to use broken landscape suggests that, except possibly in some W islands, it can withstand much more damage to forest than has occurred to date. On the other hand, no information exists on how it responds to plantation agriculture, which is the future of the lowlands of the region. In Irian Jaya widespread settlement of W Indonesian transmigrants will greatly increase the level of bird-hunting, a traditional activity of these people.