Sooty Swift

About the Sooty Swift

The sooty swift (Cypseloides fumigatus) is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. The sooty swift, Rothschild's swift (Cypseloides rothschildi), white-chested swift, (C. lemosi), and American black swift (C. niger) form a superspecies. Some authors have treated sooty and Rothschild's swifts as conspecific. The sooty swift is monotypic.

The sooty swift is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Males weigh about 42 g (1.5 oz) and females about 41 g (1.4 oz). The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have a brown head, a black patch around the eye, and lighter brown forehead and cheeks. Their back is a darker brown than the head. The upper side of their tail is brown and the underside a grayer brown. The upper side of the wing is mostly blackish brown and the underside somewhat lighter. Juveniles have some gray fringing on the body and wings but are otherwise like adults.

The sooty swift is found from southern Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil south to Rio Grande do Sul, eastern Paraguay, and northern Argentina's Misiones Province. There... Wikipedia →