Short-tailed Swift vs White-chested Swift

Chaetura brachyura comparado con Cypseloides lemosi

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo Short-tailed Swift White-chested Swift
Nombre científico Chaetura brachyura Cypseloides lemosi
Orden Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Familia Apodidae Apodidae
Estado de conservación Least Concern Least Concern
Longitud
Envergadura 23,7 cm (9.3 in) 30,0 cm (11.8 in)
Peso 18,625 g (0.66 oz) 28,400000000000002 g (1.00 oz)
Dieta Feeds exclusively on aerial plankton — tiny flies, aphids, and spiders — captured in continuous … Obligate aerial forager catching small flies, aphids, winged termites, and airborne spiders on the wing.
Tamaño de la puesta 2-7 --
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Hábitats compartidos

Short-tailed Swift only

Ninguno

White-chested Swift only

Ninguno

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Song & Call Comparison

Short-tailed Swift

Canto

Harsh, screaming chatter with emphatic delivery; loud coarse notes erupting suddenly during competitive aerial encounters.

White-chested Swift

Canto

High, thin twittering; soft 'tsit' calls in flight; calls over Colombian waterfalls; very poorly known; thin, reedy contact notes; one of most rarely documented swifts

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Geographic Range & Migration

Short-tailed Swift

Found across South America east of the Andes, from Trinidad and the Guianas south to Bolivia and the Río de la Plata. Lowland forest.

White-chested Swift

Known from Colombia and adjacent Ecuador. One of the world's rarest swifts; recorded at waterfalls in humid forest foothills at 500–1,200 m.

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Estado de conservación

Least Concern

Short-tailed Swift

Least Concern

White-chested Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Short-tailed Swift

Plumaje

Small; dark sooty-brown upperparts; very pale whitish rump and tail contrasting sharply with dark body; underparts pale greyish; extremely short tail giving distinctive blunt-ended flight silhouette; widespread Trinidad to Argentina.

White-chested Swift

Plumaje

Black upperparts and wings; distinctive large white chest patch contrasting sharply with black throat and belly; white confined to central breast; Colombian endemic with unique bold bicoloured plumage unlike any …

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About These Birds

Short-tailed Swift

Vencejo de cola corta (Chaetura brachyura), 10–11 cm. Plumaje negro uniforme con rabadilla y cola grises pálidas. Cola extremadamente corta. Ampliamente distribuido en América tropical. Vuela velozmente capturando insectos. Nidifica en palmeras y árboles huecos. Emite gorjeos agudos en vuelo.

White-chested Swift

A medium-sized swift (14-15 cm) endemic to the upper Cauca Valley of Colombia. Sooty-black plumage with a white breast patch. Aerial insectivore of subtropical forests. Classified as Endangered due to extremely restricted range and ongoing habitat loss.

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