White-chested Swift

About the White-chested Swift

The white-chested swift (Cypseloides lemosi) is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and possibly Brazil. The white-chested swift, American black swift (Cypseloides niger), Rothschild's swift (C. rothschildi), and sooty swift (C. fumigatus) form a superspecies. The white-chested swift is monotypic.

The white-chested swift is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs about 28 g (0.99 oz). Both sexes have a notched tail, with the male's notch being deeper. The sexes have the same plumage. Adults have sooty blackish upperparts with a faint green gloss on the crown and back and bluish wings and tail. They are black between the bill and eye. They have a large white patch across the breast that is wider in the middle. The rest of their underparts are paler than the upperparts and slightly brownish. Immatures do not have the white breast band; they are dark slaty gray with white tips to most of the feathers of the underparts.

The white-chested swift is known from widely scattered locations from Colombia's Cauca River valley... Wikipedia →