Indian Swiftlet vs Great Dusky Swift

Aerodramus unicolor verglichen mit Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Indian Swiftlet Great Dusky Swift
Wissenschaftlicher Name Aerodramus unicolor Cypseloides senex
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 22,7 cm (8.9 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
Gewicht 11,0 g (0.39 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
Ernährung 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 …
Gelegegröße 2 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Indian Swiftlet only

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Great Dusky Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

Indian Swiftlet

Gesang

Rapid, thin twittering; 'tsit-tsit' calls over South Indian hills; audible echolocation clicks in cave roosts; colonial; calls softly in flight; noisy at roost entrances

Great Dusky Swift

Gesang

Loud, churring trill; harsher and louder than other Cypseloides; calls over Iguacu Falls and major Neotropical waterfalls; buzzy 'bzzzt-bzzzt' in aerial groups

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Geographic Range & Migration

Indian Swiftlet

Found in Sri Lanka and southwestern India. Resident in hills and lowlands, nesting in rock crevices on cliff faces up to 2,000 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.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Indian Swiftlet

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Indian Swiftlet

Gefieder

Small; uniformly dark blackish-brown throughout with minimal gloss; rump barely paler than back or concolorous; underparts dark grey-brown; forked tail; South Indian and Sri Lankan endemic with exceptionally uniform dark …

Great Dusky Swift

Gefieder

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 …

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About These Birds

Indian Swiftlet

A small swiftlet (11-12 cm) found across the Indian subcontinent and Sri Lanka. Dark grey-brown plumage with slightly paler underparts. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forests, towns, and agricultural land. Colonial nester in caves and buildings. Uses simple echolocation clicks.

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.

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