Chaetura chapmani
The Chapman's Swift (Chaetura chapmani) is a small, enigmatic aerial insectivore, typically treated as a subspecies of the Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura). Averaging 10.5-11.5 cm in length with a wingspan of approximately 28-30 cm, this swift is uniformly sooty-brown to black, often with a slightly paler throat and rump, though these features can be subtle. Its most distinctive field mark, shared with other *Chaetura* swifts, is its short, squared tail with stiff, spiny feather shafts...
Found primarily in lowland tropical forests, forest edges, clearings, savannas, and often over urban areas, typically ranging from sea level up to 1000 meters elevation.
A strict aerial insectivore, feeding exclusively on a wide variety of flying insects caught in mid-air, including termites, ants, beetles, flies, and wasps.
Chapman's Swifts are strictly diurnal, spending nearly their entire day on the wing, often forming large, vocal flocks, especially during non-breeding periods. They establish communal roosts in various dark, vertical cavities such as hollow trees, caves, or even abandoned buildings and chimneys, ...
The Chapman's Swift's primary distribution encompasses northern South America, extending from eastern Colombia and Venezuela eastward through the Guianas (Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana) into northern and northeastern Brazil. This subspecies is also a resident breeder on the islands of Trini...
Least Concern
- Chapman's Swifts are among the few birds that cannot perch in the traditional sense; instead, they cling to vertical surfaces using their specialized feet. - Their nests are engineering marvels, constructed from small twigs and other debris glued together with their own remarkably sticky saliva...