White-chinned Swift vs Great Dusky Swift

Cypseloides cryptus verglichen mit Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal White-chinned Swift Great Dusky Swift
Wissenschaftlicher Name Cypseloides cryptus Cypseloides senex
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 27,4 cm (10.8 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
Gewicht 35,95 g (1.27 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
Ernährung Aerial-only diet of small flying insects, winged termites, and drifting spiders caught during continuous flight. Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial …
Gelegegröße 1 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

White-chinned Swift only

Great Dusky Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

White-chinned Swift

Gesang

Soft, buzzy twittering; weak 'tsit-tsit' in flight; calls over Neotropical waterfalls; thin, high-pitched contact notes; soft compared to most swifts; rarely vocal

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

White-chinned Swift

Found from southern Mexico south through Central America and northwestern South America to Bolivia. Nomadic; joins large mixed swift flocks.

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

White-chinned Swift

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-chinned Swift

Gefieder

Uniformly sooty-black plumage with narrow white chin spot; no white rump or other pale markings; large for a Cypseloides; cryptic appearance made identification historically difficult; white chin the sole distinguishing …

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

White-chinned Swift

A medium-sized swift (14-15 cm) of humid lowland and foothill forests from southern Mexico to Peru. Dark sooty-brown plumage with a small white chin patch. Aerial insectivore, feeding over forest canopy and ravines. Nests behind waterfalls. Uncommon and poorly studied.

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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