Collocalia


Collocalia is a genus of swifts, containing some of the smaller species termed "swiftlets". Formerly a catch-all genus for these, a number of its former members are now normally placed in Aerodramus.
The genus Collocalia was introduced by the English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1854. The name Collocalia combines the classical Greek words kolla meaning "glue" and kalia for "nest".
The genus previously contained fewer species. Seven subspecies of the glossy swiftlet were promoted to species status based on a detailed analysis of the swiftlets in the genus Collocalia published in 2017.

Species

Extant

The genus now contains the following 11 species:
An Early Miocene fossil swiftlet from the Riversleigh deposits of Australia was described as Collocalia buday. This as well as a right ulna found at the Bannockburn Formation of the Manuherikia Group near the Manuherikia River in Otago, New Zealand. Dating from the Early to Middle Miocene, probably belongs to Aerodramus.