Pacific Swift at Alphonse

Pacific Swift at Alphonse (Kaeleah Andrew)

Kaeleah Andrew has reported a Pacific Swift at the south coast, Alphonse on 23-25 January 2024. SBRC has accepted 20 previous records of this species. However, what were once four races of one species have now been split. Two of these - Cook’s Swift and Salim Ali’s Swift - are extremely unlikely in Seychelles because they are not long-distance migrants. The only long-distance migrant of the four species likely to reach Seychelles is Apus pacificus  However, Blyth’s Swift A. leuconyx also migrates to some extent and is a possibility. SBRC has retained all Seychelles records as Pacific Swift with a caveat that Blyth’s Swift cannot be ruled out.
 
Compared to Pacific Swift, Blyth's Swift has a narrower rump patch and the white fringes to the underparts feathers distinctly less numerous or obvious.