Sooty Swift vs Alpine Swift
Cypseloides fumigatus compared with Tachymarptis melba
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Sooty Swift | Alpine Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cypseloides fumigatus | Tachymarptis melba |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.0 cm (11.4 in) | 43.9 cm (17.3 in) |
| Weight | 41.666666666666664 g (1.47 oz) | 97.5 g (3.44 oz) |
| Diet | Catches aerial plankton — tiny midges, gnats, and ballooning spiders — continuously during soaring flight. | Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal … |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-4 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Sooty Swift
Soft twittering 'tsit-tsit'; thin, buzzy notes in flight; calls over Neotropical waterfalls and gorges; quiet, raspy trill; rarely as vocal as larger swift species
Alpine Swift
Rapid series of short, clipped whistles; bright, clean notes delivered in quick succession with occasional doubled phrase.
Geographic Range & Migration
Sooty Swift
Found in the Guiana Shield and Amazon Basin in Brazil, Venezuela, and the Guianas. Nomadic; associated with rocky outcrops and waterfalls.
Alpine Swift
Breeds from southern Europe and North Africa east through Central Asia and the Himalayas to India. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.
Conservation Status
Sooty Swift
Alpine Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Sooty Swift
Uniformly dark sooty-brown plumage throughout; no contrasting pale markings anywhere; slightly paler brownish-grey on throat; large and uniform; South American species whose entirely dark coloration recalls blackish swiftlets but much …
Alpine Swift
Large; dark brown upperparts; white throat patch separated from white belly by dark brown breast band; brown flanks; bold tricoloured underpart pattern; one of Europe's largest swifts with distinctive white …
About These Birds
Sooty Swift
A medium-sized swift (15-17 cm) found in subtropical and montane forests of southeastern Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina. Sooty-brown plumage. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forested gorges and waterfalls. Nests behind waterfalls on wet rock faces.
Alpine Swift
A large swift (20-22 cm, wingspan 54-60 cm) with a white belly and throat contrasting with dark brown upperparts. Found from southern Europe and Africa to Central Asia. Aerial insectivore, foraging at great heights. Nests on cliff faces in large colonies. Powerful, fast flier.