Costa Rican Swift vs Black Spinetail
Chaetura fumosa compared with Telacanthura melanopygia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Costa Rican Swift | Black Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Chaetura fumosa | Telacanthura melanopygia |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 21.2 cm (8.3 in) | 32.4 cm (12.8 in) |
| Weight | 18.2 g (0.64 oz) | 52.0 g (1.83 oz) |
| Diet | Entirely airborne feeder on tiny flies, gnats, and airborne arachnids; one of the most aerial … | High-speed aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and aerial spiders during fast sustained flight. |
| Clutch Size | -- | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Costa Rican Swift
Thin, insect-like buzz alternating with soft clicks; delicate high trill delivered during swift wheeling flight over valleys.
Black Spinetail
Deep, resonant chattering with gravelly undertones; series of rough churring notes interspersed with sharp screaming calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
Costa Rican Swift
Found along the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and Panama. Resident in lowland and foothill forest and forest edge below 1,000 m.
Black Spinetail
Found in West and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon east to Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.
Conservation Status
Costa Rican Swift
Black Spinetail
How to Tell Them Apart
Costa Rican Swift
Small; uniformly dark sooty-brown with rump barely paler than dark back; underparts dark grey-brown; short spiny tail; Central American Pacific slope species; exceptionally dark and uniform compared to most Chaetura …
Black Spinetail
Large; entirely black plumage with slight gloss; black rump unlike white-rumped congeners; underparts dark; spiny tail; West African forest species; all-black coloration with no contrasting markings distinguishes it from all …
About These Birds
Costa Rican Swift
A small swift (11 cm) endemic to the Pacific slope of Costa Rica and western Panama. Dark plumage with a pale grey rump band. Spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore of humid forest canopy. Poorly known; restricted range in Central American lowland forests.
Black Spinetail
A medium-sized spinetail swift (14-15 cm) of lowland rainforests in West and Central Africa. All-dark plumage. Spine-tipped tail for bracing against tree trunks. Aerial insectivore, foraging above the forest canopy. Nests inside hollow trees. Uncommon and seldom observed.