Tachornis

Tachornis
Fork-tailed palm swift (Tachornis squamata)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Strisores
Order:	Apodiformes
Family:	Apodidae
Tribe:	Apodini
Genus:	Tachornis Gosse, 1847
Type species
Tachornis phoenicobia [1] Gosse, 1847

Tachornis is a genus of swift in the family Apodidae. It contains the following species:

• Pygmy palm swift (Tachornis furcata)
• Fork-tailed palm swift (Tachornis squamata)
• Antillean palm swift (Tachornis phoenicobia)
• Tachornis uranoceles (fossil; Late Pleistocene of Puerto Rico)

These birds are found in the Neotropics, ranging from the Caribbean to South America. They are characterized by their small size and deeply forked tails. ^[2]

The name Tachornis derives from the Greek words tachys or takhus, meaning "fast", and ornis, meaning "bird". ^{[3] [4]}

References

1. "Apodidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
2. Chantler, Phil; Driessens, Gerald (2000). Swifts: A Guide to the Swifts and Treeswifts of the World. Pica Press. ISBN   978-1-873403-83-9.
3. Lederer, Roger J.; Burr, Carol (2014). Latin for Bird Lovers: over 3,000 bird names explored and explained. Portland & London: Timber Press. p. 200. ISBN   978-1-60469-546-5. OCLC   872984627.
4. Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names: From Aalge to Zusii (1st ed.). London: Christopher Helm. p. 377. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4. OCLC   659731768.