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Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Panyptila cayennensis

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernInvertebratesForestDomed nestSmall · 21 g
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 1
Photo: Carter Dorscht · CC0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 2
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 3
Photo: avocat · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 4
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 5
Photo: Marcelo Schmidt Roberti · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 6
Photo: Jacob Saucier · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 7
Photo: Jacob Saucier · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 8
Photo: Aitor · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 9
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0
Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila cayennensis), photo 10
Photo: Anthony Batista · CC BY 4.0

ID tip

The lesser swallow-tailed swift is a slender species, 12.7–13 cm (5.0–5.1 in) long, and weighing about 18 g (0.63 oz). It has long narrow wings and a long forked tail, which is usually held tightly closed. It is mainly black with a white throat and upper breast and squarish white patches on the rear flanks. The sexes are similar. Voice: The lesser swallow-tailed swift's usual calls are "a reedy or wheezy phrase of fast twittering notes...'pzeee-pzi-titititititi-ti-ti-pzeee!'" and "a repeated drawn-out single 'pzeeeh'". It often flies so high that the calls cannot be heard.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

Regular range

The map shades 18 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Belize Costa Rica Panama Ecuador Colombia Guatemala Brazil Peru Mexico Venezuela Trinidad & Tobago Honduras French Guiana Guyana Suriname El Salvador Nicaragua Bolivia

About the Lesser Swallow-tailed Swift

The lesser swallow-tailed swift or Cayenne swift is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found from southern Mexico through Central America; in every mainland South America country except Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay; and on Trinidad.

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

Easily confused with

Great Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila sanctihieronymi) Great Swallow-tailed SwiftPanyptila sanctihieronymiThe great swallow-tailed swift is 18 to 20.5 cm (7.1 to 8.1 in) long and weighs about 48 g (1.7 oz).

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