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1. Gathorne Hardy MA PhD PNBS(K) (5 th Earl of Cranbrook) Sarawak Museum (1956 - Yayasan Siswa Lokantara Universiti Malaya Niah cave excavations âExpeditionsâ (1964 â 92), to Kinabalu, Gn Benom, Vanuatu, Gn Mulu, Belalong (Brunei) Chairman, English Nature (1990-98), Chairman Entrust, Regulator of Environmental bodies under UK Landfill tax regulations (1996)
2. Two tasks: 1. Sort out swiftlets taxonomy and biology 2. Identify animal remains from Niah excavations.
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6. Diversity peaks World range of swiftlets: Indo-Pacific Mascerenes Eastern Himalayas New Caledonia Hawaii Indo-Malayan region
16. troglodytes esculenta Plain tailed linchi Glossy swiftlets Two species in Malaysia White spots on tail feathers
17. Speciation among Glossy swiftlets, Collocalia C. esculenta L. 1758 C. linchi H & M 1834 C. troglodytes Gray 1845 All build self-supporting cup-like nests of strands of plant material, fixed with a basal band of edible nest âcementâ
18. Collocalia : glossy swiftlets 1. White-bellied swiftlets C. esculenta
26. A.vanikorensis Q & G 1830 A.salanganus Streubel 1848 * * * = type locality The two allopatric âmossy-nestâ swiftlets
27. There is only one species of swiftlet building the âBlackâ nests this is Aerodramus maximus Lim Chan Koon
28. Hevily feathered tarsus = A. maximus Naked (or lightly feathered) tarsus = others Field characters 2.
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30. White nests ( âvestitusâ) Salai cave, Baram, Sarawak Photo Lim Chan Koon
31. White nests are highest value These nests are composed almost entirely of edible nest-cement, with no more than a few feathers adhering to or incorporated, Raw nests may be worth RM 7000 per kg of ~100 nests
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33. There are also two species of âwhite-nestâ swiftlets This is the typical dark-rumped form Aerodramus f. fuciphagus of Java
37. AMNH 634703 f Coll. H.C. Robinson, Koh Pennan (Phangan Is) 13 June 1913. L Wing 112 No moult. Grey rumped, or Germainâs swiftlet Aerodramus germani Coasts and islands from Hainan (China) & Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, to Andaman Is Grey rump, with dark shaft streaks
43. P. Condore Type locality Sembilan Is Satang Island Mantanani Is. Berhala Is. Maratua Is. (ssp. perplexus ) Southern and western limits of Grey-rumped swiftlets Aerodramus germani in Malaysia P. Tioman Gomantong Horsborough lighthouse
44. Two species of white-nest swiftlets Aerodramus germani Aerodramus fuciphagus A. g. germani A. (f.) vestitus ?? A. (g.?) perplexus A. f. vestitus A. f. fuciphagus A. g. hainaensis A. g. inexpectatus A. f. dammermanni A. fuciphagus micans
45. Topotype of â Collocalia fuciphaga amechanaâ Oberholser from Pulau Jimaja, Anamba Is., Indonesia
47. Six swiftlets of interior Borneo: Comparative wing lengths Scale in mm Chris Stimpson Diagram by C. Stimpson
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49. Karst limestone of interior Borneo Surprisingly, no records of Aerodramus swiftlets in any cave in Msia Semenanjung Caves in limestone and other rocks are the natural nesting sites of swiftlets.
50. White cliffs Dizzy heights Twisty tunnels The work of nest collectors is very hazardous
51. A. (f.) vestitus Salai cave, Baram, Sarawak Rarely can nests be gathered by hand Lim Chan Koon
52. Access to many caves is arduous Bt Kelam, W. Kalimantan Nest fissure
65. House in transition C. linchi > A. fuciphagus Glossy swiftlet nests White nests
66. New nest house at Bayang Kara, Kaltim. Original wooden house with C. esculenta nests enclosed in concrete shell; eggs imported from W. Java Ventilation holes Cladding, for coolness Javanese technology exported
67. Spontaneous occupation of buildings by edible/white-nest swiftlets Penang & Butterworth Kuala Terengganu Bintulu Melaka Singapore Java (multiple instances) Banjermasin Since 1890
69. Spontaneous colonisations of buildings in Pen. Malaysia Penang (1947) K. Terengganu (1974) Kuala Lumpur (1948) Known start dates Melaka (1953) Singapore (1935) Taiping (1950s)
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71. Since 1990s swiftlet-farming has relied on the direct attraction of free-flying birds into specially constructed houses
72. House-farm buildings are now a familiar part of the street scene Is this the solution to sustainbility ?
78. House-farmed white-nest swiftlets of Sarawak do not resemble either of the wild species Aerodramus germani on islands Aerodramus (f.) vestitus of inland caves
111. Black-nest swiftlets at Sarang: moult & breeding % nests with eggs Count of shed feathers Lim Chan Koon
112. Studies of behaviour at the cave mouth shows that swiftlets feed only during daylight hours, and that weather (especially rain) is an important determinant of the birdsâ activity. It is likely that prolonged rainy weather is detrimental to their ability to feed
114. Analysis of food balls fed to nestlings, compared with passive samples of aerial insects, shows that swiftlets are selective feeders, taking a very wide variety of arthropod prey
117. The Malaysian government has recognised that the husbandry of swiftlets in houses falls into the remit of the Veterinary Department, including issues such as animal welfare and cruelty
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120. Could managed, selective breeding of house-farmed birds improve the stock, e.g., female fecundity, nest weight or quality, disease resistance ?
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122. In the scenario of this newest domestication, with the backing of sound husbandry and good science , rational planning can ensure the perpetuation and sustainable management of this important biological resource.