Pallid Swift vs White-chinned Swift
Apus pallidus compared with Cypseloides cryptus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Pallid Swift | White-chinned Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apus pallidus | Cypseloides cryptus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 33.4 cm (13.1 in) | 27.4 cm (10.8 in) |
| Weight | 42.25 g (1.49 oz) | 35.95 g (1.27 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial insectivore foraging continuously in flight, taking tiny flies, beetles, and ballooning spiders. | Aerial-only diet of small flying insects, winged termites, and drifting spiders caught during continuous flight. |
| Clutch Size | 1-4 | 1 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Pallid Swift
Melodic, rolling trill with rich timbre; sustained musical phrase with slight variations on repeated delivery at dusk.
White-chinned Swift
Soft, buzzy twittering; weak 'tsit-tsit' in flight; calls over Neotropical waterfalls; thin, high-pitched contact notes; soft compared to most swifts; rarely vocal
Geographic Range & Migration
Pallid Swift
Breeds in the Mediterranean and North Africa east to Pakistan. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia.
White-chinned Swift
Found from southern Mexico south through Central America and northwestern South America to Bolivia. Nomadic; joins large mixed swift flocks.
Conservation Status
Pallid Swift
White-chinned Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Pallid Swift
Medium-large; pale brownish-grey overall, distinctly paler than Common Swift; larger pale throat patch; wing coverts show pale scaly edges; Mediterranean and Middle Eastern species; pale sandy-brown tone separates it from …
White-chinned Swift
Uniformly sooty-black plumage with narrow white chin spot; no white rump or other pale markings; large for a Cypseloides; cryptic appearance made identification historically difficult; white chin the sole distinguishing …
About These Birds
Pallid Swift
A medium-sized swift (16-17 cm) similar to Common Swift but paler, sandy-brown overall with a larger white throat patch. Found across southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Aerial insectivore. Long-distance migrant wintering in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
White-chinned Swift
A medium-sized swift (14-15 cm) of humid lowland and foothill forests from southern Mexico to Peru. Dark sooty-brown plumage with a small white chin patch. Aerial insectivore, feeding over forest canopy and ravines. Nests behind waterfalls. Uncommon and poorly studied.