Great Dusky Swift vs Fork-tailed Palm Swift

Cypseloides senex مقارنةً بـ Tachornis squamata

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Great Dusky Swift Fork-tailed Palm Swift
الاسم العلمي Cypseloides senex Tachornis squamata
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 33,8 cm (13.3 in) 20,7 cm (8.1 in)
الوزن 83,0 g (2.93 oz) 10,4 g (0.37 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … Obligate aerial insectivore; takes small flies, beetles, and aerial spiders in swooping fast-flight passes.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-2 2-4
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Great Dusky Swift only

بلا

Fork-tailed Palm Swift 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

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

الغناء

Loud, penetrating scream cutting above all noise; strident series of shrill descending notes, powerful for the bird's size.

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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.

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

Found in the Amazon basin from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Resident near Mauritia palm swamps.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

Least Concern

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

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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 …

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

الريش

Tiny; dark brown-black upperparts; white rump patch; underparts whitish with dark flanks; deeply forked tail; Amazonian species closely resembling Antillean Palm Swift; nests in Mauritia palm fronds; white rump and …

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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.

Fork-tailed Palm Swift

A small swift (12-13 cm) found in open country and palm savannas from Central America to southern Brazil and Trinidad. Dark plumage. Long, deeply forked tail. Aerial insectivore, closely associated with various palm species, nesting inside hanging dead palm fronds.

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