A swiftlet of South Pacific islands including Vanuatu, it has satiny blue-black upperparts and a broad white rump band.
Birds in Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands have a sharp boundary between the dark-grey breast and white belly.
It uses forest and dense vegetation and feeds on invertebrates.
Birds in New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands have paler, freckled breasts and clearer tail spots than those in Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.