White-rumped Swift vs Great Dusky Swift
Apus caffer compared with Cypseloides senex
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | White-rumped Swift | Great Dusky Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apus caffer | Cypseloides senex |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.0 cm (11.4 in) | 33.8 cm (13.3 in) |
| Weight | 23.0 g (0.81 oz) | 83.0 g (2.93 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal … | Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … |
| Clutch Size | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-rumped Swift
Deep, guttural churring with resonant buzzing quality; prolonged low-frequency trill vibrating persistently through dense foliage.
Great Dusky Swift
Loud, churring trill; harsher and louder than other Cypseloides; calls over Iguacu Falls and major Neotropical waterfalls; buzzy 'bzzzt-bzzzt' in aerial groups
Geographic Range & Migration
White-rumped Swift
Breeds in southern Europe and North Africa east to Central Asia. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal south to South Africa.
Great Dusky Swift
Found in eastern South America from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Bolivia and Paraguay. Resident near rocky cliffs and waterfalls.
Conservation Status
White-rumped Swift
Great Dusky Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
White-rumped Swift
Dark sooty-brown; narrow elongated white rump patch; white throat; underparts dark; forked tail; African species; narrower and more elongated white rump than Little Swift; deeply forked tail unlike the square …
Great Dusky Swift
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 …
About These Birds
White-rumped Swift
A small swift (14 cm) found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Dark plumage with a white rump and throat patch. Aerial insectivore. Famously uses the mud nests of other swallows and martins, adding its own feather and saliva lining. A brood parasite of nest architecture.
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.