Philippine Glossy Swiftlet vs Great Dusky Swift
Collocalia marginata compared with Cypseloides senex
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Philippine Glossy Swiftlet | Great Dusky Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Collocalia marginata | Cypseloides senex |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 33.8 cm (13.3 in) |
| Weight | 7.2 g (0.25 oz) | 83.0 g (2.93 oz) |
| Diet | Tiny aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; congregates where insects emerge over water. | Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Philippine Glossy Swiftlet
Very high thin twittering; 'tsit-tsit' in flight; echolocation clicks in cave roosts; extremely small; call barely audible to human ear; rapid chittering over Philippine forest
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
Philippine Glossy Swiftlet
Endemic to the Philippines, found on most major islands. Resident in lowland and hill forest and open areas up to 1,500 m elevation.
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
Philippine Glossy Swiftlet
Great Dusky Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Philippine Glossy Swiftlet
Tiny; glossy greenish-black upperparts; white-buff rump patch; dark sooty underparts; deeply forked tail; endemic to Philippine islands; the blue-green iridescence on the back is more pronounced than in drabber Collocalia …
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
Philippine Glossy Swiftlet
A small swiftlet (9-10 cm) endemic to the Philippines. Glossy dark plumage with pale fringes on wing feathers. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forest canopy and clearings. Colonial nester in caves. Found across most major Philippine islands.
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.