Family

Apodidae

38 species · Animals

🔍 How to identify Apodidae →

Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Apodiformes › Apodidae

Andean Swift

Aeronautes andecolus (d'Orbigny & Lafresnaye, 1837)

The Andean swift is a 14 cm Andean bird with three recognized subspecies that occupy separate Andean ranges.

White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis (Woodhouse, 1853)

Aeronautes saxatalis, the white-throated swift, is a medium-sized black-and-white swift native to North and Central America.

Vaux's Swift

Chaetura vauxi (J.K.Townsend, 1839)

Vaux's swift (Chaetura vauxi) is a small swift with defined appearance, breeding range from North to Central America, nesting in large hollow trees.

Short-tailed Swift

Chaetura brachyura (Jardine, 1846)

Chaetura brachyura, the short-tailed swift, is a small black swift with pale rump and tail, resident across the Neotropics in open lowland habitats.

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica (Linnaeus, 1758)

Chaetura pelagica (chimney swift) is a medium-sized migratory swift that breeds in eastern North America and winters in South America.

Gray-rumped Swift

Chaetura cinereiventris P.L.Sclater, 1862

This is a description of the bird grey-rumped swift (Chaetura cinereiventris), covering its physical traits, subspecies, distribution, and habitat.

Sick's Swift

Chaetura meridionalis Hellmayr, 1907

Chaetura meridionalis Hellmayr, 1907 is a swift species with defined plumage features that breeds in central-eastern South America and migrates north for the Austral winter.

Silver-rumped Spinetail

Rhaphidura leucopygialis (Blyth, 1849)

Rhaphidura leucopygialis, the silver-rumped spinetail, is an Apodidae swift found in Southeast Asian moist lowland forests.

Biscutate Swift

Streptoprocne biscutata (P.L.Sclater, 1866)

Streptoprocne biscutata, the biscutate swift, is a small swift with two recognized subspecies found in eastern South America.

White-naped Swift

Streptoprocne semicollaris (DeSaussure, 1859)

The white-naped swift is the largest New World swift, found mainly in Mexican highlands, feeding on flying insects.

White-collared Swift

Streptoprocne zonaris (Shaw, 1796)

Streptoprocne zonaris, the white-collared swift, is a large swift with a distinctive neck collar, distributed across the Americas.

Chestnut-collared Swift

Streptoprocne rutila (Vieillot, 1817)

Streptoprocne rutila, the chestnut-collared swift, is a small swift with three recognized subspecies ranging from Mexico to Bolivia and Trinidad.

Little Swift

Apus affinis (J.E.Gray, 1830)

Apus affinis, the little swift, is a small swift identifiable by its small size, black plumage with white markings, and fluttering flight.

White-rumped Swift

Apus caffer (M.H.K.Lichtenstein, 1823)

Apus caffer, the white-rumped swift, is a small dark African swift that now breeds as far north as Corsica and southern Spain.

House Swift

Apus nipalensis (Hodgson, 1837)

Apus nipalensis, the house swift, is a medium-sized Asian swift with black plumage and one breeding season a year.

Common Swift

Apus apus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Apus apus, the common swift, is a migratory bird with distinct physical and behavioral traits, breeding across Eurasia and wintering in Africa.

Plain Swift

Apus unicolor (Jardine, 1830)

The plain swift (Apus unicolor) is a medium-sized aerial swift native to Macaronesia, wintering in equatorial West Africa.

Pallid Swift

Apus pallidus (Shelley, 1870)

Apus pallidus (pallid swift) is a small swift similar to the common swift that breeds around the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, and Madeira.

Horus Swift

Apus horus (Heuglin, 1869)

Apus horus, the Horus swift, is a bulky blackish swift with a white chin and rump that breeds in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pacific Swift

Apus pacificus (Latham, 1801)

Apus pacificus, the Pacific swift, is the largest Apus swift, breeding in Asia and migrating long distances to winter further south.

African Swift

Apus barbatus (P.L.Sclater, 1866)

Apus barbatus, the African black swift, is a medium swift found across discontinuous breeding ranges in Africa.

Great Dusky Swift

Cypseloides senex (Temminck, 1826)

The great dusky swift (Cypseloides senex) is the largest Cypseloides swift found in parts of South America.

Black Swift

Cypseloides niger (J.F.Gmelin, 1789)

This is a species description of Cypseloides niger, the American black swift, covering appearance, distribution, habitat, migration, and feeding habits.