Great Dusky Swift vs Mottled Swift

Cypseloides senex verglichen mit Tachymarptis aequatorialis

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Great Dusky Swift Mottled Swift
Wissenschaftlicher Name Cypseloides senex Tachymarptis aequatorialis
Ordnung Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familie Apodidae Apodidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 33,8 cm (13.3 in) 41,5 cm (16.3 in)
Gewicht 83,0 g (2.93 oz) 94,0 g (3.32 oz)
Ernährung Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … Entirely airborne feeder on tiny flies, gnats, and airborne arachnids; one of the most aerial …
Gelegegröße 1-2 1-2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

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Great Dusky Swift only

Mottled Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

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

Mottled Swift

Gesang

Rough, coarse chatter with scratchy texture; bursts of harsh notes blending into continuous buzzy trill near nesting cliffs.

Geographic Range & Migration

Great Dusky Swift

Found in eastern South America from Venezuela and the Guianas south to Bolivia and Paraguay. Resident near rocky cliffs and waterfalls.

Mottled Swift

Found across equatorial Africa from Guinea east to Ethiopia and south to Zambia. Resident in highland forests and rocky cliffs at 900–3,400 m.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

Least Concern

Mottled Swift

How to Tell Them Apart

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 …

Mottled Swift

Gefieder

Large; dark brown upperparts; mottled white and brown underparts with white scales on each feather creating scaled appearance; pale throat; African montane species closely related to Alpine Swift but with …

About These Birds

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.

Mottled Swift

A large swift (20-22 cm) found in montane regions of eastern and southern Africa, typically at 1,500-3,000 m elevation. Dark plumage with mottled white underparts and throat. Aerial insectivore. Often seen in large flocks soaring over mountain escarpments and gorges.

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