Ashy-tailed Swift vs Black Spinetail

Chaetura andrei verglichen mit Telacanthura melanopygia

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Ashy-tailed Swift Black Spinetail
Wissenschaftlicher Name Chaetura andrei Telacanthura melanopygia
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Vulnerable Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 22,3 cm (8.8 in) 32,4 cm (12.8 in)
Gewicht 17,1 g (0.60 oz) 52,0 g (1.83 oz)
Ernährung Aerial insectivore foraging continuously in flight, taking tiny flies, beetles, and ballooning spiders. High-speed aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and aerial spiders during fast sustained flight.
Gelegegröße -- --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Ashy-tailed Swift only

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Black Spinetail only

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Song & Call Comparison

Ashy-tailed Swift

Gesang

Dry rattling chatter with sharp staccato onset; brief bursts of clicking notes followed by descending hissing sound.

Black Spinetail

Gesang

Deep, resonant chattering with gravelly undertones; series of rough churring notes interspersed with sharp screaming calls.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Ashy-tailed Swift

Found in eastern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and northern Argentina. Partially migratory; moves north in austral winter. Lowland forest.

Black Spinetail

Found in West and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon east to Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Vulnerable

Ashy-tailed Swift

Least Concern

Black Spinetail

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How to Tell Them Apart

Ashy-tailed Swift

Gefieder

Small; dark sooty-brown overall; distinctly pale ashy-grey rump and tail contrasting with dark body; underparts dark grey-brown; ashy rump and tail the defining feature separating it from other South American …

Black Spinetail

Gefieder

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 …

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About These Birds

Ashy-tailed Swift

A small swift (11-12 cm) of lowland forests in Venezuela, the Guianas, and Trinidad, with a separate population in southeastern Brazil. Dark plumage with an ashy-grey rump and undertail. Spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore. Nests in hollow palms and chimneys.

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.

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