science

Grey-rumped swiftlet

Grey-rumped swiftlet is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Grey-rumped swiftlet rather than just read about it. In short: The grey-rumped swiftlet (Collocalia marginata) or grey-rumped swiftlet, is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines where it is found on most islands except Mindanao.

Key takeaways

Grey-rumped swiftlet belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Grey-rumped swiftlet to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Grey-rumped swiftlet from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The grey-rumped swiftlet (Collocalia marginata) or grey-rumped swiftlet, is a small bird in the swift family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines where it is found on most islands except Mindanao. Its natural habitat is tropical moist lowland forests. It was previously considered a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet.

Description The grey-rumped swiftlet is 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) in length with a square tail. The back and upper surface of the wings are dull dark blue with a moderate green gloss. The rump is paler due to the white margins of feathers forming the uppertail coverts. The throat and upper breast are grey with fine white scalloping merging into larger greyish chevrons over the lower breast and flanks, becoming white over the belly. There is sometimes a tuft of small feathers on the hallux, the rear facing toe. This species lacks the white spots on the inner webs of the tail feathers that are present in some Collocalia species.

Taxonomy The grey-rumped swiftlet was described by the Italian ornithologist Tommaso Salvadori in 1882 and given the current binomial name Collocalia marginata. The type locality is the island of Cebu in the Philippines. The specific epithet maginata is Latin for "bordered" or "edged". The grey-rumped swiftlet was previously treated as a subspecies of the glossy swiftlet but was promoted to species status based on the results of a detailed analysis of the swiftlets in the genus Collocalia published in 2017. There are two subspecies:

C. m. septentrionalis Mayr, 1945 – Babuyan Island, Cagayan Island, Camiguin Island C. m. marginata Salvadori, 1882 – eastern and western Visayan Islands, possibly Palawan

Ecology and behavior It feeds small insects in flight. Forms groups of up to 40 individuals associating with other swiftlets. Average clutch is just 1 single egg. Not much else is known about its breeding.

Habitat and conservation Seen in almost any habitat including coastal areas, montane forest , agricultural lands and even roads. It is still most frequently seen in forests and clearings. International Union for Conservation of Nature does not yet recognize this as its own species. It has assessed its parent species, the glossy swiftlet as least-concern species.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Grey-rumped swiftlet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Grey-rumped swiftlet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Grey-rumped swiftlet before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Grey-rumped swiftlet ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Grey-rumped swiftlet

In research: Grey-rumped swiftlet appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Grey-rumped swiftlet in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Grey-rumped swiftlet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Apodiformes stubs, Birds described in 1882, Collocalia, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Grey-rumped swiftlet outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Grey-rumped swiftlet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Grey-rumped swiftlet means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Grey-rumped swiftlet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Grey-rumped swiftlet in simple terms?

Why does Grey-rumped swiftlet matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Grey-rumped swiftlet?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Grey-rumped swiftlet.