Swallow-wing Puffbird

About the Swallow-wing Puffbird

The swallow-winged puffbird (Chelidoptera tenebrosa) is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is also called the swallow-wing. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

The swallow-winged puffbird was previously known as simply "swallow-wing" but its current name has been widely accepted since the late twentieth century. It is the only member of its genus. It has three subspecies, the nominate C. t. tenebrosa, C. t. brasiliensis, and C. t. pallida.

The swallow-winged puffbird is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 30 to 41.5 g (1.1 to 1.5 oz). The nominate subspecies has sooty black upperparts with some bluish iridescence. The lower back and rump are white. Its tail is short and black with white tips to the feathers that quickly wear away. The wings are long and pointed. The chin is whitish, the throat grayish, and the breast sooty black fading to gray in its lower part. Its belly is orange-chestnut. The bill is black, the eye dark brown, and the feet dark gray or black. C. t. brasiliensis is larger than... Wikipedia →