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Swifts

9 Bird Species

Antillean Palm-Swift

This mostly dark Caribbean swift is white below and extensively white on the rump. Upperparts are very dark dusky-brown. White rump divided by a narrow dark stripe that connects between the dark back and all-dark tail. White belly and throat. Sides of neck and flanks washed with dusky-brown, undertai more...

Length: 11 cm Wingspan: 29 cm

Black Swift

This is the largest regularly occurring swift in North America. Blackish overall. At close range, shows a whitish cast on the face. The wings are long and broad and usually appear somewhat curved in flight. The tail is fairly long and wide, clearly notched on adult males, more squared on females and more...

Length: 18 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Chimney Swift

Common summer resident of Eastern North America. Adult is swallow-like, with cigar-shaped body, thinner wings, and quicker wingbeats than swallows; plumage is sooty-brown overall without black or white markings. Slightly larger than the nearly identical Vaux's Swift of Western U.S.; virtually indisti more...

Length: 13 cm Wingspan: 36 cm

Common Swift

Large dark long-winged Eurasian swift with a long deeply-forked tail and contrasting pale throat. Adult: Very dark body and wings; black with a brownish cast. Scaly appearance owing to slightly browner fringes of feathers. Contrasting whitish throat. Flight feathers slightly paler than wing linings a more...

Length: 16 cm Wingspan: 38 cm

Fork-tailed Swift

Large dark swift with slim body and long, thin, pointed wings. Long, thin deeply forked tail. Small dark bill and dark eye. Tiny dark feet. Adult: Dark blackish-brown plumage with inconspicuous paler throat and bold white band on rump. Feathers on underparts and underwing coverts have pale fringes cr more...

Length: 18 cm Wingspan: 45 cm

Vaux's Swift

Vaux's (rhymes with foxes) Swift is the smallest regularly occurring swift in North America. The tail is very short, and the wings appear shorter than those of the similar Chimney Swift. The bird is dark gray-brown overall, paler on the throat, breast and rump. more...

Length: 11 cm Wingspan: 29 cm

White-collared Swift

A very large, black swift with a distinctive broad white collar. Slightly forked tail. Juveniles are sooty-black overall with white scaling on underparts and a less distinctive white collar. Much larger than the similar Black Swift, which lacks a collar. more...

Length: 22 cm Wingspan: 51 cm

White-throated Needletail

A large swift with a stubby tail. Light brownish back and rump with glossy greenish-black wings, crown, and rump. Blackish breast and belly with white undertail coverts extending onto flanks, forming a U-shape. White throat and forehead spot. Juvenile similar to adult but has dark scalloping on U-sha more...

Length: 20 cm Wingspan: 51 cm

White-throated Swift

This is the only regularly occurring swift in North America with a bold black and white pattern. The tail is fairly long and appears slightly notched when spread. The wings are broad at the base. Shows black to brownish-black overall, with white on the throat, breast, and central belly. White tips on more...

Length: 15 cm Wingspan: 33 cm