White-rumped Swift vs Great Dusky Swift

Apus caffer comparé à Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut White-rumped Swift Great Dusky Swift
Nom scientifique Apus caffer Cypseloides senex
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Apodidae Apodidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 29,0 cm (11.4 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
Poids 23,0 g (0.81 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
Régime alimentaire Aerial insectivore taking small flying insects and spiders; may forage at great heights following thermal … Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial …
Taille de la couvée 1-3 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

White-rumped Swift only

Aucun(e)

Great Dusky Swift only

Aucun(e)

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Song & Call Comparison

White-rumped Swift

Chant

Deep, guttural churring with resonant buzzing quality; prolonged low-frequency trill vibrating persistently through dense foliage.

Great Dusky Swift

Chant

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-rumped Swift

Breeds in southern Europe and North Africa east to Central Asia. Migratory; winters in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal south to South 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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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

White-rumped Swift

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-rumped Swift

Plumage

Dark sooty-brown; narrow elongated white rump patch; white throat; underparts dark; forked tail; African species; narrower and more elongated white rump than Little Swift; deeply forked tail unlike the square …

Great Dusky Swift

Plumage

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-rumped Swift

A small swift (14 cm) found across sub-Saharan Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Dark plumage with a white rump and throat patch. Aerial insectivore. Famously uses the mud nests of other swallows and martins, adding its own feather and saliva lining. A brood parasite of nest architecture.

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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