White-chinned Swift vs Black Spinetail
Cypseloides cryptus comparado com Telacanthura melanopygia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Atributo | White-chinned Swift | Black Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Nome científico | Cypseloides cryptus | Telacanthura melanopygia |
| Ordem | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Família | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Estado de conservação | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Comprimento | — | — |
| Envergadura | 27,4 cm (10.8 in) | 32,4 cm (12.8 in) |
| Peso | 35,95 g (1.27 oz) | 52,0 g (1.83 oz) |
| Dieta | Aerial-only diet of small flying insects, winged termites, and drifting spiders caught during continuous flight. | High-speed aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and aerial spiders during fast sustained flight. |
| Tamanho da postura | 1 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
White-chinned Swift
Soft, buzzy twittering; weak 'tsit-tsit' in flight; calls over Neotropical waterfalls; thin, high-pitched contact notes; soft compared to most swifts; rarely vocal
Black Spinetail
Deep, resonant chattering with gravelly undertones; series of rough churring notes interspersed with sharp screaming calls.
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.
Black Spinetail
Found in West and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon east to Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.
Estado de conservação
White-chinned Swift
Black Spinetail
How to Tell Them Apart
White-chinned Swift
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 …
Black Spinetail
Large; entirely black plumage with slight gloss; black rump unlike white-rumped congeners; underparts dark; spiny tail; West African forest species; all-black coloration with no contrasting markings distinguishes it from all …
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.
Black Spinetail
A medium-sized spinetail swift (14-15 cm) of lowland rainforests in West and Central Africa. All-dark plumage. Spine-tipped tail for bracing against tree trunks. Aerial insectivore, foraging above the forest canopy. Nests inside hollow trees. Uncommon and seldom observed.