Great Dusky Swift vs Mottled Swift

Cypseloides senex مقارنةً بـ Tachymarptis aequatorialis

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Great Dusky Swift Mottled Swift
الاسم العلمي Cypseloides senex Tachymarptis aequatorialis
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 33,8 cm (13.3 in) 41,5 cm (16.3 in)
الوزن 83,0 g (2.93 oz) 94,0 g (3.32 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … Entirely airborne feeder on tiny flies, gnats, and airborne arachnids; one of the most aerial …
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-2 1-2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

بلا

Great Dusky Swift only

Mottled Swift only

بلا

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

Mottled Swift

الغناء

Rough, coarse chatter with scratchy texture; bursts of harsh notes blending into continuous buzzy trill near nesting cliffs.

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.

Mottled Swift

Found across equatorial Africa from Guinea east to Ethiopia and south to Zambia. Resident in highland forests and rocky cliffs at 900–3,400 m.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

Least Concern

Mottled Swift

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 …

Mottled Swift

الريش

Large; dark brown upperparts; mottled white and brown underparts with white scales on each feather creating scaled appearance; pale throat; African montane species closely related to Alpine Swift but with …

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.

Mottled Swift

A large swift (20-22 cm) found in montane regions of eastern and southern Africa, typically at 1,500-3,000 m elevation. Dark plumage with mottled white underparts and throat. Aerial insectivore. Often seen in large flocks soaring over mountain escarpments and gorges.

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