Fork-tailed (Pacific) Swift, Shakespear regional park

[Michael Szabo]

Bob Rigter reports via eBird seeing a Fork-tailed (Pacific) Swift flying along cliffs at pink beach, Shakespear regional park, Whangapaoroa peninsula today:
https://ebird.org/atlasnz/checklist/S123144776

[rukuhia]

I am not sure what species of swift it is as I don’t have a field guide with me. It was not a swallow as it was an all dark bird with an obvious white rump and never flapped its wings but flew with crescent shaped wings. I lost it before I could get a photo. It was larger than a swallow. Any suggestions?

[Michael Szabo]

Fork-tailed Swift aka Pacific Swift aka White-rumped SWift?
https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/specie ... iled-swift

[rukuhia]

Yes that is what it looked like.

[Oscar Thomas]

Please submit a UBR and alter the eBird record to Pacific (Fork-tailed) Swift as the White-rumped Swift is a different species found in Europe/Africa.

[simon.fordham]

Morag Fordham, along with Steve and Anna Sutcliffe, observed a swift over Tiritiri Matangi today. I don't seem to be able to upload Anna's MP4 video but the clearest 'still' is as follows. A white rump was clearly seen. Some parts of the video clearly show a forked tail. Two birds were seen together, later in the day.

swift.jpg (15.09 KiB) Viewed 740 times

We are thinking it is a fork-tailed but any comment would be appreciated.

[simon.fordham]

Here is another screen grab from the video

swift2.jpg (12.25 KiB) Viewed 565 times

[Oscar Thomas]

Here is another screen grab from the video

Awesome find Simon. A couple images from this eBird checklist match your poses pretty close and show the similarity in structure. There are no other likely candidates for ID: https://ebird.org/checklist/S124034769