Bird Guide

Chimney Swift vs Grey-rumped Swift

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica)

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica

Small24 gUrban

This is a medium-sized swift, measuring from 12 to 15 cm (4.7 to 5.9 in) in length, with a wingspan of 27 to 30 cm (11 to 12 in) and a weight ranging from 17 to 30 g (0.60 to 1.06 oz). The sexes are identical in plumage, though males average slightly heavier than females. The adult's plumage is a dark sooty olive above and grayish brown below, with a slightly paler rump and uppertail covert feathers, and a significantly paler throat. Its upperparts are the most uniformly colored of all the Chaetura swifts, showing little contrast between back and rump. Voice: The chimney swift has a twittering call, consisting of a rapid series of hard, high-pitched chirps. It sometimes gives single chirps.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Chimney Swift
Recorded by steve · Call, song · Chapel Hill, Orange County, North Carolina, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Adam Jackson · CC0
Grey-rumped Swift (Chaetura cinereiventris)

Grey-rumped Swift

Chaetura cinereiventris

Tiny14 gForest

The grey-rumped swift is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs about 17 g (0.60 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 mostly glossy black upperparts with a wide gray rump and uppertail coverts. Their underparts are a lighter gray than the rump, though darker on the undertail coverts. Juveniles are essentially the same as adults with the addition of pale fringes to many of the wing feathers. Subspecies C. c. Voice: The principal vocalizations of the grey-rumped swift's nominate subspecies are "a bright repeated short 'tsip'" and a "series of 3–4 slightly downslurred burry drawn-out notes 'trrreeew-trrreeew-trrreeew'." The other subspecies' vocalizations vary but are similar to them.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Grey-rumped Swift
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Call · Pichincha: Río Guaycuyacu, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: er-birds · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Chimney Swift and Grey-rumped Swift.