Great Dusky Swift vs Purple Needletail

Cypseloides senex مقارنةً بـ Hirundapus celebensis

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Great Dusky Swift Purple Needletail
الاسم العلمي Cypseloides senex Hirundapus celebensis
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 33,8 cm (13.3 in) 42,7 cm (16.8 in)
الوزن 83,0 g (2.93 oz) 186,5 g (6.58 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … Catches aerial plankton of small insects and spiders in fast sweeping flight; roosts in rock …
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-2 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Great Dusky Swift only

بلا

Purple Needletail only

بلا

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Song & Call Comparison

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

Purple Needletail

الغناء

Thin, penetrating screech with piercing quality; rapid trilling notes cascading steeply, cutting through jungle noise effectively.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Great Dusky Swift

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

Purple Needletail

Found on Sulawesi, the Philippines, and adjacent islands in Wallacea. Resident in lowland and hill forest, foraging over forest and open areas.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

Least Concern

Purple Needletail

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How to Tell Them Apart

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 …

Purple Needletail

الريش

Very large; dark black-brown upperparts with intense purple gloss on back and wing coverts; white throat patch; white undertail coverts; short spiny tail; Sulawesi endemic and the heaviest needletail; stunning …

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About These Birds

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.

Purple Needletail

A large needletail swift (19-20 cm) endemic to the Philippines and Sulawesi. Dark plumage with purplish gloss and a white throat patch. Spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore, foraging in rapid flight over montane forests. Less studied than its continental relatives.

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