Birds of the World

    APODIFORMES: Apodidae (Swifts)  
Genus: Cypseloides (8 species)

Cypseloides is a genus of medium sized uniformly dark swifts with a square or only slightly forked tail.


Spot-fronted Swift
Spot-fronted Swift (Cypseloides cherriei)
Range: MA, SA: Costa Rica to n Venezuela and n Ecuador
 
   
Photograph by Andres Cuervo     Copyright and usage info

Small (14 cm.) dark swift with square tail. Not well known, but found in mountainous areas between 1000m and 2000m (HBW). May fly with Chestnut-collared Swift (Hilty).

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White-chinned Swift (Cypseloides cryptus)
Range: MA, SA: Belize to Guyana, n Brazil and se Peru
   


Medium-sized swift with impossible to see light-colored chin. Unforked tail. Not well known; found at many altitudes and habitat types, but very uncommon.

Sooty Swift
Sooty Swift (Cypseloides fumigatus)
Range: SA: e Bolivia, e Paraguay, ne Argentina and se Brazil
Fazenda do Alemão, Mambaí, Brazil
  Note long wings and medium size at 15 cm. Tail appears square when closed.
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.

Sooty Swift
Sooty Swift (Cypseloides fumigatus)
Range: SA: e Bolivia, e Paraguay, ne Argentina and se Brazil
Intervales, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Bradley Hacker   © All Rights Reserved.


White-chested Swift
White-chested Swift (Cypseloides lemosi)
Range: SA: Colombia to ne Ecuador and nw Peru
Bellandia Lodge, Pastaza, Ecuador
  Medium size. Note forked tail.
   
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas)   © All Rights Reserved.


American Black Swift
American Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) Vulnerable
Range: NA, MA: w
La Mina, Durango, Mexico  
   
Photograph by Amy McAndrews     Copyright and usage info

American Black Swift
American Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) Vulnerable
Range: NA, MA: w
Box Canon Falls, Ouray, Colorado, United States  
   
Photograph by Aaron Maizlish     Copyright and usage info

Northern migrant. Migrates from western Canada and USA to northwest Amazon. A large black swift (18 cm.) with some grey on the head.

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Rothschild's Swift (Cypseloides rothschildi) Near Threatened
Range: SA: s Bolivia, s Peru and nw Argentina
   



Great Dusky Swift
Great Dusky Swift (Cypseloides senex)
Range: SA: c Brazil to ne Bolivia, e Paraguay and ne Argentina
Salto do Itiquira, Formosa, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.

A large swift that hangs underneath waterfalls including Iguazu.

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White-fronted Swift (Cypseloides storeri)
Range: MA: sw Mexico
   




© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
Experimental sites:       Peru       Venezuela       The World       Brazil       Bolivia
Really Experimental sites:       Guyana       Cuba