Pale-rumped Swift
Chaetura egregia
Medium-sized swift with a strongly contrasting rump patch. Dark slaty gray, with a lighter gray throat and a large white rump patch. Paler, more contrasting throat, and much lighter rump than in the similar Gray-rumped Swift; Short-tailed Swift has a bright white rump patch like Pale-rumped, but has a shorter tail, bigger primary bulge, and pale undertail coverts (evenly gray in Pale-rumped). Readily associates with other swift species in flocks.
Identification
The pale-rumped swift is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs about 23 g (0.81 oz). It has a protruding head, a short square tail, and wings that bulge in the middle and somewhat hook at the end. The sexes are alike. Their upperparts are black with a bronze gloss and a whitish rump and uppertail coverts. Their underparts are mostly dark, with a pale throat and blackish undertail coverts.
Taxonomy
The pale-rumped swift has at times been treated as conspecific with the grey-rumped swift (C. cinereiventris). The two of them, the band-rumped swift (C. spinicaudus), and the Lesser Antillean swift (C. martinica) were at one time placed in genus Acanthylis. The pale-rumped swift is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Chaetura egregia
- Authority
- Todd, 1916
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
- Genus
- Chaetura
Range and habitat
The pale-rumped swift is found in eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, western Brazil, and northwestern Bolivia and has been recorded as a vagrant in Colombia. It principally inhabits lowland tropical evergreen forest but also occurs over more open landscapes and urban areas.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The pale-rumped swift is thought to be a year-round resident throughout its range.<p>Like all swifts, the pale-rumped is an aerial insectivore. It often feeds with other species of swift and tends to stay in the lower part of the flock. No details of its diet are known.<p>Nothing is known about the pale-rumped swift's breeding phenology and its nest and eggs have not been described.<p>The pale-rumped swift's main vocalizations are "a single-noted 'tsee'...and more complex twittering calls such as 'tsee-titi' or 'titi-tsee-trtr'."
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds

Masked Antpitta
Hylopezus auricularis
Medium-sized antpitta of floodplain forest, particularly with palmetto understory, along the confluence of the Ríos Madre de Dios and Bení in the Riberalta area. The only antpitta in range with dark chevrons on underparts or a blue-gray cap. Forages on or near the ground, but generally perches 1-2 m up in the understory or midstory to sing at dawn. Visually distinctive in range, but song deceptively similar to, and perhaps indistinguishable from, local songs of Amazonian Antshrike. Call a more distinctive three to four-part descending whistle.

Black-hooded Thrush
Turdus olivater
Medium-sized thrush of montane forests. Looks large and bulky compared to other thrushes in range; note male’s distinctive black head contrasting with brownish-olive body and yellow bill and legs. Female is similarly patterned but much duller. Found in highland forest and second growth, generally above 800 meters, where it is often the most common thrush. Most reliably seen at fruiting trees, where many individuals may congregate; also often seen at middle levels of forest, where it may take conspicuous perches to assess an observer before flying off. Song is a halting series of phrases, many of them doublets, generally alternating between rich, low notes and high reedy ones; call note is a rich, liquid bark. Male is unlikely to be confused with other species; female could be confused with female Pale-eyed Thrush but is larger, has darker eyes with distinct eyering and a semblance of male’s hooded look.

Black-throated Hermit
Phaethornis atrimentalis
Small hummingbird with a long white-tipped tail. Its rufous underparts, green back, and striped face are features typical of many hermits, but the dark throat and white vent help separate it from other similar species. Inhabits rainforest understory in lowlands east of the Andes and in adjacent foothills. It is difficult to see well as it zips between flowers in the gloom. Sometimes gives a high-pitched, squeaky song from a low perch.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.