White-chinned Swift vs Great Dusky Swift

Cypseloides cryptus comparé à Cypseloides senex

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut White-chinned Swift Great Dusky Swift
Nom scientifique Cypseloides cryptus Cypseloides senex
Ordre Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
Famille Apodidae Apodidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 27,4 cm (10.8 in) 33,8 cm (13.3 in)
Poids 35,95 g (1.27 oz) 83,0 g (2.93 oz)
Régime alimentaire 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 …
Taille de la couvée 1 1-2
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

White-chinned Swift only

Great Dusky Swift only

Aucun(e)

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Song & Call Comparison

White-chinned Swift

Chant

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

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-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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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

White-chinned Swift

Least Concern

Great Dusky Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

White-chinned Swift

Plumage

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

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-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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