NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Mascarene Swiftlet
Aerodramus francicus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Mascarene swiftlet or Mauritius swiftlet (Aerodramus francicus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
It is found in Mauritius and Réunion, and the populations on the two islands have recently been confirmed to differ subspecifically. The nominate race francicus is found on Mauritius, and the recently described race saffordi occurs on Réunion.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest, subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland, caves, arable land, and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Wikipedia contributors, Mascarene swiftlet; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:14:28.173731+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Aerodramus francicus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
- Common name
- Mascarene Swiftlet
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
- Genus
- Aerodramus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderApodiformes
- familyApodidae
- subfamilyApodinae
- genusAerodramus Oberholser, 1906
- speciesAerodramus francicus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Aerodramus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Himalayan SwiftletAerodramus brevirostris (Horsfield, 1840) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Halmahera SwiftletAerodramus infuscatus (Salvadori, 1880) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Palau SwiftletAerodramus pelewensis (Mayr, 1935) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Seychelles SwiftletAerodramus elaphrus (Oberholser, 1906) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bare-legged SwiftletAerodramus nuditarsus (Salomonsen, 1962) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Marquesan SwiftletAerodramus ocistus (Oberholser, 1906) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Tahiti SwiftletAerodramus leucophaeus (Peale, 1849) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mossy-nest SwiftletAerodramus salangana (Streubel, 1848) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian SwiftletAerodramus terraereginae (E. P. Ramsay, 1875) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mayr's SwiftletAerodramus orientalis (Mayr, 1935) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ameline SwiftletAerodramus amelis (Oberholser, 1906) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atiu SwiftletAerodramus sawtelli (Holyoak, 1974) | ApodidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Hirundo francica J. F. Gmelin, 1789 J. F. Gmelin, 1789 | synonym |
| Collocalia francica (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=554948 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:64Z4Q. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.