Rothschild's Swift
Cypseloides rothschildi
Uncommon swift found along the east slope of the Andes from central Bolivia to northwestern Argentina. Uniform sooty brown, lacking any strong plumage characteristics. Easily confused with Sick’s Swift, but is larger with longer wings, giving it a sleeker and more aerodynamic appearance; also lacks a pale throat, though this is often hard to see clearly. In central Bolivia it could be mistaken for Chestnut-collared Swift (some of which lack a chestnut collar), but wings are slightly narrower at the base. Usually seen in flocks of a few birds up to 20 or more that circle over humid forest.
Identification
Rothschild's swift is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long. It has long, broad wings and a short squarish tail. Its plumage is a uniform medium brown.
Taxonomy
Rothschild's swift, white-chested swift, (Cypseloides lemosi), American black swift (C. niger), and sooty swift (C. fumigatus) form a superspecies. Some authors have treated Rothschild's and sooty swifts as conspecific. Rothschild's swift is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Cypseloides rothschildi
- Authority
- Zimmer, JT, 1945
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
- Genus
- Cypseloides
Range and habitat
Rothschild's swift is found from Bolivia's Santa Cruz Department south into northwestern Argentina as far as Córdoba Province. There are no records in Peru despite its being included there in some taxonomic lists. The species' habitat requirements are not well known. Most records have been over evergreen montane forest at elevations between 500 and 2,000 m (1,600 and 6,600 ft).
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Rothschild's swift appears to be a year-round resident in most of its range, though it might winter at the northern end of it.<p>Like all swifts, Rothschild's is an aerial insectivore, but no details of its diet are known.<p>Nothing is known about Rothschild's swift's breeding phenology.<p>As of late 2022, xeno-canto had a single recording of a Rothschild's swift vocalization, and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Macaulay Library had none. It reportedly makes a "short 'pip' or 'peep'" in flight.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
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