Drab Swiftlet vs Great Dusky Swift
Collocalia neglecta compared with Cypseloides senex
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Drab Swiftlet | Great Dusky Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Collocalia neglecta | Cypseloides senex |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 33.8 cm (13.3 in) |
| Weight | 5.9 g (0.21 oz) | 83.0 g (2.93 oz) |
| Diet | Entirely airborne insectivore; feeds on minute flying insects and web-dispersing spiders over open habitats. | Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1-2 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Drab Swiftlet
High, thin twittering; 'tsit-tsit' in flight; echolocation clicks inside cave roosts; small size and unremarkable plumage matched by simple, thin high-pitched calls
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
Drab Swiftlet
Found on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Simeuluë Island off Sumatra. Resident in coastal and lowland habitats. Sedentary.
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
Drab Swiftlet
Great Dusky Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Drab Swiftlet
Tiny; dull brownish-grey upperparts with little or no gloss; whitish-buff rump band; pale greyish-buff underparts; forked tail; as the name implies, lacks the iridescent gloss of most Collocalia swiftlets; island …
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
Drab Swiftlet
A small swiftlet (10 cm) found in the Philippines, Sulawesi, and the Moluccas. Dark grey-brown plumage, less glossy than related species. Aerial insectivore. Colonial cave nester. Taxonomy has been revised repeatedly; sometimes merged with other swiftlet taxa.
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.