Spot-fronted Swift vs Great Dusky Swift

Cypseloides cherriei مقارنةً بـ Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Spot-fronted Swift Great Dusky Swift
الاسم العلمي Cypseloides cherriei Cypseloides senex
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 25,0 cm (9.8 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
الوزن 22,725 g (0.80 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds aerially on tiny insects and spiders, often following weather fronts where aerial plankton concentrates. Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial …
عدد البيض في الوضع 1 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Spot-fronted Swift only

بلا

Great Dusky Swift only

بلا

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Song & Call Comparison

Spot-fronted Swift

الغناء

Soft 'chip-chip' notes; thin, quiet twittering in flight; calls over Colombian waterfalls and mountain streams; high-pitched weak trills; rarely vocal away from breeding

Great Dusky Swift

الغناء

Loud, churring trill; harsher and louder than other Cypseloides; calls over Iguacu Falls and major Neotropical waterfalls; buzzy 'bzzzt-bzzzt' in aerial groups

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Geographic Range & Migration

Spot-fronted Swift

Found in disjunct montane populations from Costa Rica and Venezuela south to Ecuador. Rare; associated with waterfalls at 600–2,000 m elevation.

Great Dusky Swift

Found in eastern South America from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Bolivia and Paraguay. Resident near rocky cliffs and waterfalls.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Spot-fronted Swift

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Spot-fronted Swift

الريش

Sooty-black overall with distinctive white-spotted forehead; throat shows pale grey-white scaling; no other markings; dark uniform body contrasts with the unique white-spotted loral and frontal spots that name the species.

Great Dusky Swift

الريش

Very large; entirely dark sooty-brown with pale grey forehead and chin scaling; slightly paler underparts; broad wings; largest Cypseloides swift; South American waterfall specialist with dusky uniform plumage and imposing …

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About These Birds

Spot-fronted Swift

A medium-sized dark swift (13-14 cm) of montane forests in Costa Rica and western Panama. Sooty-black plumage with white loral spots. Aerial insectivore, foraging high over forested ravines and mountain ridges. Rare and poorly known; classified as Near Threatened.

Great Dusky Swift

A large swift (18-20 cm) of southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina. Dark sooty-brown plumage. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forested gorges and waterfalls. Nests in large colonies behind waterfalls. The largest member of the genus Cypseloides.

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