Spot-fronted Swift
Cypseloides cherriei
Little-known swift found mostly in mountainous areas, though flocks occasionally venture into lowlands. All dark with short square tail and angular wings. Namesake white spots on forehead and behind eyes are distinctive, but these can be extremely difficult to see. Many swifts are best left unidentified. Sex and age variation not well known; some birds, maybe juveniles, can show whitish scaling on belly. Occasionally seen singly or mixed with flocks of other swifts, but most often in monotypic flocks of up to several dozen individuals. Voice can be helpful with practice; typically a staccato chatter followed by “pew pew pew” notes like a laser gun.
Identification
The spot-fronted swift is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs about 23 g (0.81 oz). The sexes are alike. They are almost entirely blackish brown with grayish underwings and a white chin. They get their English name from bright white spots on either side of the bill and behind the eyes.
Taxonomy
The spot-fronted swift is monotypic.
- Scientific name
- Cypseloides cherriei
- Authority
- Ridgway, 1893
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Apodidae
- Genus
- Cypseloides
Range and habitat
The spot-fronted swift has a scattered distribution. In Costa Rica it is mostly found on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca. It is known in Panama from only a few locations and in Colombia and Ecuador from a larger number, though still widely separated. It is almost unknown in far western Venezuela and extreme northern Peru. It mostly inhabits montane forest at elevations between 1,100 and 2,200 m (3,600 and 7,200 ft) but has been documented at 300 m (980 ft) in Ecuador.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
It is not known whether the spot-fronted swift is resident or migratory. There is some evidence of elevational movements, but they could be either migration or daily foraging flights.<p>Like all swifts, the spot-fronted is an aerial insectivore. In one study nearly all of its prey were Hemiptera (true bugs) and Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants). Flocks of up to about 50 may forage together, sometimes with other swifts.<p>The spot-fronted swift's nesting season overall includes at least April to July but varies geographically. It makes a cup nest of moss, ferns, and mud on a vertical rock face near or even directly above water. It lays a single egg. In a Costa Rica study the incubation period was 26 to 28 days and fledging occurred 65 to 70 days after hatch.<p>The spot-fronted swift's flight call has been compared to the sound of laser gun and transliterated as "chirr chi-t-t-ti chirr".
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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