How do you identify a Band-rumped Swift?

The band-rumped swift is 10.5 to 12.6 cm (4.1 to 5.0 in) long and weighs 13.8 to 18.5 g (0.49 to 0.65 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.

How big is a Band-rumped Swift?

The Band-rumped Swift is a small sized bird weighing about 16 g.

Where can you see a Band-rumped Swift?

The Band-rumped Swift occurs in 10 countries, including Panama, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Colombia.

What birds look similar to a Band-rumped Swift?

The Band-rumped Swift is most easily confused with the Costa Rican Swift, the Pale-rumped Swift and the Chapman's Swift.

Is the Band-rumped Swift endangered?

The Band-rumped Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Band-rumped Swift

Chaetura spinicaudus

Swifts · Apodiformes · Uncommon

The Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus) is a uncommon swift found in 10 countries, weighing about 16 g. The band-rumped swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae.

Least ConcernUncommonEats invertebratesforestcavity nest16 g

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 1 — Photo: Christoph Moning · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 2 — Photo: Christoph Moning · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 3 — Photo: scaup · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 4 — Photo: scaup · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 5 — Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 6 — Photo: Jan Ebr & Ivana Ebrová · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 7 — Photo: Anthony Batista · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 8 — Photo: Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States · CC BY 2.0

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 9 — Photo: Christoph Moning · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus), photo 10 — Photo: scaup · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

About the Band-rumped Swift

The band-rumped swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found from Panama south through Colombia into Ecuador, east from Venezuela into the Guianas and Brazil, and on Trinidad.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

How to identify it

The band-rumped swift is 10.5 to 12.6 cm (4.1 to 5.0 in) long and weighs 13.8 to 18.5 g (0.49 to 0.65 oz). It has a protruding head, a short square tail, and wings that bulge in the middle and somewhat hook at the end. The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have black-brown upperparts with a white band on the rump. Their underparts are dark with a slightly paler throat. Juveniles have white tips on some wing feathers. Subspecies C. s. aetherodroma is smaller than the nominate; its rump patch is grayer and its throat paler. Voice: The nominate subspecies of band-rumped swift "gives a diagnostic bisyllabic 'pseee-trr' or more burry 'prrrree-trtr'" and sometimes also "several repeated notes 'tsee-tsee-tsee'". The vocalizations of subspecies C. s. aetherodroma are not well known.

Where it lives

Panama Brazil Guyana Trinidad & Tobago Colombia French Guiana Suriname Ecuador Venezuela

Recorded as a rare visitor in Costa Rica.

When to see it

The Band-rumped Swift can be seen all year round, with peak activity in February. It is a resident species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Band-rumped Swift?: The band-rumped swift is 10.5 to 12.6 cm (4.1 to 5.0 in) long and weighs 13.8 to 18.5 g (0.49 to 0.65 oz). Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Band-rumped Swift?: The Band-rumped Swift is a small sized bird weighing about 16 g.
Where can you see a Band-rumped Swift?: The Band-rumped Swift occurs in 10 countries, including Panama, Brazil, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and Colombia.
What birds look similar to a Band-rumped Swift?: The Band-rumped Swift is most easily confused with the Costa Rican Swift, the Pale-rumped Swift and the Chapman's Swift.
Is the Band-rumped Swift endangered?: The Band-rumped Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Band-rumped Swift for real

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