biology

Philippine swiftlet

Philippine swiftlet is a biology 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 Philippine swiftlet rather than just read about it. In short: The Philippine swiftlet (Aerodramus mearnsi, formerly Collocalia mearnsi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.

Key takeaways

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

Reference excerpt

The Philippine swiftlet (Aerodramus mearnsi, formerly Collocalia mearnsi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines. Its natural habitats are or tropical dry forests, tropical moist lowland forests, and tropical moist montane forests.

Description and taxonomy This species is monotypic.

Ecology and behavior Diet is unknown but it is presumed to have the typical diet of insects caught in flight. Nests consist of moss held together with saliva which does not remain moist but hardens. Breeds in May in Mindoro. Nests in caves and rock cavities. The nest is made of moss held together with saliva, where it lays four eggs. Breeding has been recorded in May in Mindoro.

Habitat and conservation status Its natural habitats are tropical submontane forests beginning at 700 meters above sea level. It is listed as Least-concern species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with the population believed to be stable.

References

BirdLife International 2004. Aerodramus mearnsi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 July 2007.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Philippine swiftlet

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Philippine swiftlet claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, 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 Philippine 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 Philippine 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 Philippine swiftlet

In research: Philippine swiftlet appears in biology 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 Philippine 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: Philippine swiftlet is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerodramus, Apodiformes stubs, Birds described in 1912, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Philippine 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 Philippine swiftlet in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Philippine 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 Philippine swiftlet out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Philippine swiftlet in simple terms?

The Philippine swiftlet (Aerodramus mearnsi, formerly Collocalia mearnsi) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is endemic to the Philippines.

Why does Philippine swiftlet matter?

Because it connects several biology 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 Philippine 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 Philippine swiftlet.