White-collared Swift vs Mottled Spinetail

Streptoprocne zonaris مقارنةً بـ Telacanthura ussheri

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة White-collared Swift Mottled Spinetail
الاسم العلمي Streptoprocne zonaris Telacanthura ussheri
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 42,5 cm (16.7 in) 29,1 cm (11.5 in)
الوزن 106,45 g (3.75 oz) 32,65 g (1.15 oz)
النظام الغذائي Obligate aerial insectivore; gathers small flying insects, winged ants, and airborne spiders during flight. Aerial diet of small flying insects and spiders; forages at speed over forest and open …
عدد البيض في الوضع 2 4
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

White-collared Swift only

بلا

Mottled Spinetail only

بلا

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Song & Call Comparison

White-collared Swift

الغناء

Loud, screaming 'shreee-shreee'; powerful screeching trill; calls from large flocks over mountains; very audible; one of the loudest Neotropical swifts; alarm a harsh rattle

Mottled Spinetail

الغناء

Harsh, grating screech followed by rapid chattering; loud, raspy trill repeated insistently near colony roost sites.

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Geographic Range & Migration

White-collared Swift

Found from Mexico south through Central America to South America east of the Andes, reaching Bolivia and southern Brazil. Often in large flocks.

Mottled Spinetail

Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Gambia east to Ethiopia and south to Zambia. Resident in forest, forest edge, and savanna woodland.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

White-collared Swift

Least Concern

Mottled Spinetail

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-collared Swift

الريش

Large; glossy blue-black plumage with bold broad white collar encircling entire neck; collar clean and complete; underparts black; large slightly forked tail; among the most recognisable Neotropical swifts due to …

Mottled Spinetail

الريش

Large spinetail; dark blackish-brown upperparts; white-mottled pale greyish underparts creating distinctively spotted belly; white rump band; spiny tail tips; African forest species with unique mottled underpart pattern among spinetails.

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About These Birds

White-collared Swift

A very large swift (20-22 cm, wingspan 45-55 cm) with a bold white collar band, the largest New World swift. Found from Mexico to southern Brazil and the Caribbean. Aerial insectivore, foraging in large, noisy flocks over forests and cities. Nests behind waterfalls and in caves.

Mottled Spinetail

A medium-sized spinetail swift (14-15 cm) found in tropical forests across sub-Saharan Africa. Dark plumage with white mottling on the throat and belly. Spine-tipped tail for clinging to vertical surfaces. Aerial insectivore. Nests inside hollow trees and palm trunks.

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