Scarce Swift
Schoutedenapus myoptilus
Medium-sized, uniformly dark swift with a long, thin tail. Overall coloration is pale gray with a paler throat, but often looks blackish when seen in flight overhead. Flight is fluttering and not very strong. Found over a wide variety of habitats at middle and high elevations. Usually in flocks, sometimes mixed with other swift species. The call is a mellow, chirping trill. Similar to African Palm-Swift, but darker. Very similar in shape to White-rumped Swift, but lacks white throat and rump patches. Can be mistaken for other swift species such as African and Common Swifts, but has slimmer body, longer and slimmer tail, and less powerful flight style.
Identification
The scarce swift (Schoutedenapus myoptilus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It has a disjunct range of presence throughout the Afromontane : Cameroon line, Albertine Rift montane forests, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique. It is the only species in the genus Schoutedenapus. Schouteden's swift (Schoutedenapus schoutedeni) was previously considered a distinct species, but was found to be a darker juvenile or sub-adult scarce swift subspecies chapini.
Taxonomy
Genus: Schoutedenapus; Family: Apodidae; Order: Apodiformes.
- Scientific name
- Schoutedenapus myoptilus
- Authority
- (Salvadori, 1888)
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
- Genus
- Schoutedenapus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
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