Common Swift vs Great Dusky Swift

Apus apus comparado con Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo Common Swift Great Dusky Swift
Nombre científico Apus apus Cypseloides senex
Orden Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familia Apodidae Apodidae
Estado de conservación Least Concern Least Concern
Longitud
Envergadura 32,3 cm (12.7 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
Peso 41,5 g (1.46 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
Dieta Aerial forager on tiny insects and wind-dispersed spiders; forages near water surfaces where insects concentrate. Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial …
Tamaño de la puesta 1-4 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Hábitats compartidos

Common Swift only

Great Dusky Swift only

Ninguno

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Song & Call Comparison

Common Swift

Canto

Crisp, two-noted call: quick sharp chip followed by descending whistle; distinctive pattern repeated at measured intervals.

Great Dusky Swift

Canto

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

Common Swift

Breeds across Europe and Asia from the British Isles east to Siberia and China. Long-distance migrant wintering in sub-Saharan Africa.

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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Estado de conservación

Least Concern

Common Swift

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Common Swift

Plumaje

Uniformly blackish-brown above and below; pale whitish throat patch; slightly forked tail; no other pale markings; sexes identical; the archetypal swift shape with scythe-like wings; widespread Palearctic breeder and Sub-Saharan …

Great Dusky Swift

Plumaje

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

Common Swift

A medium-sized swift (16-17 cm, wingspan 42-48 cm) with dark blackish-brown plumage and a pale throat. One of the most aerial of all birds, spending nearly its entire life on the wing, sleeping, eating, and even mating in flight. Breeds across Eurasia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa.

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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