How do you identify a Pygmy Palm Swift?

The pygmy palm swift is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.

How big is a Pygmy Palm Swift?

The Pygmy Palm Swift is a tiny sized bird weighing about 7 g.

Where can you see a Pygmy Palm Swift?

The Pygmy Palm Swift occurs in 2 countries, including Venezuela.

What birds look similar to a Pygmy Palm Swift?

The Pygmy Palm Swift is most easily confused with the Antillean Palm Swift and the Fork-tailed Palm Swift.

Is the Pygmy Palm Swift endangered?

The Pygmy Palm Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Pygmy Palm Swift

Tachornis furcata

Swifts · Apodiformes · Legendary

The Pygmy Palm Swift (Tachornis furcata) is a legendary swift found in 2 countries, weighing about 7 g. The pygmy palm swift, also known as the pygmy swift, is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae.

Least ConcernLegendaryEats invertebratesforestdome nest7 g

About the Pygmy Palm Swift

The pygmy palm swift, also known as the pygmy swift, is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Colombia and Venezuela.

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

How to identify it

The pygmy palm swift is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. It has long, thin, pointed wings and a long deeply forked tail. The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies has entirely brown upperparts. Its whitish throat and upper belly are separated by a brown band, and the lower belly and undertail coverts are brown. Subspecies T. f. nigrodorsalis has blacker upperparts than the nominate and its throat is whiter. Voice: As of late 2022 xeno-canto had no recordings of pygmy palm swift vocalizations and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library only one. The species' call is described as "buzzy 'bee-beez-beez-beez-be-be-be', accelerating and trailing off".

Where it lives

Venezuela

Recorded as a rare visitor in Colombia.

When to see it

Best months: January, February, March, April, May, July, August, October, November, December, with peak activity in May. It is a variable species across most of its range.

Easily confused with

Quick questions

How do you identify a Pygmy Palm Swift?: The pygmy palm swift is about 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Full identification notes are on this page.
How big is a Pygmy Palm Swift?: The Pygmy Palm Swift is a tiny sized bird weighing about 7 g.
Where can you see a Pygmy Palm Swift?: The Pygmy Palm Swift occurs in 2 countries, including Venezuela.
What birds look similar to a Pygmy Palm Swift?: The Pygmy Palm Swift is most easily confused with the Antillean Palm Swift and the Fork-tailed Palm Swift.
Is the Pygmy Palm Swift endangered?: The Pygmy Palm Swift is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Learn the Pygmy Palm Swift for real

BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.

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