Class Aves Family Apodidae Scientific name Aerodramus manuoi | Phylum Chordata Genus Aerodramus Rank Species | |
Similar Palawan swiftlet, Atiu swiftlet, Three‑toed swiftlet, Tahiti swiftlet, Seychelles swiftlet | ||
The Mangaia swiftlet (Aerodramusa manuoi) is an extinct species of bird in the swift family. It became extinct during prehistoric times. It was endemic to Mangaia, Cook Islands. It was closely allied with the extant Atiu swiftlet (Aerodramus sawtelli) of Atiu, Mangaia's neighbouring island, though it was probably slightly larger.
It was described from six fossil bones recovered from a Holocene rock shelter deposit on Mangaia. The coracoid and carpometacarpus of the new species are larger and very different qualitatively from those of the Atiu species. This is the first species of Aerodramus to be described from fossils.
References
Mangaia swiftlet Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA