Tachornis squamata
The Fork-tailed Palm Swift, *Tachornis squamata*, is a diminutive and highly aerial swift species, embodying the very essence of perpetual motion. Measuring a mere 10-12 cm (4-4.7 inches) in length with a slight weight of 7-10 grams, it is one of the smaller swifts in its range, often appearing as a tiny, dark dart against the sky. Its plumage is uniformly sooty brown to blackish, often with a subtly paler throat and vent, making the most distinctive field mark its deeply forked tail, which i...
Found primarily in lowland tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, open woodlands, and savanna, often near water bodies and especially in areas abundant with palm trees.
Exclusively insectivorous, feeding primarily on small flying insects caught on the wing, including tiny beetles, flies, and ants.
Fork-tailed Palm Swifts are intensely diurnal, spending virtually their entire day in continuous flight, actively foraging from dawn till dusk. They roost colonially, often in large aggregations, securely clinging to the undersides of drooping palm fronds, a behavior central to their species iden...
The Fork-tailed Palm Swift boasts a widespread, resident distribution across the Amazon and Orinoco basins of northern South America, extending into parts of Central America. Its primary range includes Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, and much of Brazil, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, ...
Least Concern
- The Fork-tailed Palm Swift is one of the smallest swift species in the Neotropics, making its acrobatic flight even more impressive. - Its nests are engineering marvels, made from feathers and plant fibers cemented together with the bird's own sticky saliva, attached to the underside of droopin...