Chaetura martinica
The Lesser Antillean Swift (*Chaetura martinica*) is a small, agile aerial insectivore endemic to the Lesser Antilles, measuring approximately 10.5-12 cm (4.1-4.7 in) in length with a wingspan of 24-28 cm (9.4-11 in) and weighing 10-15 g (0.35-0.53 oz). Its plumage is uniformly sooty blackish-brown, with a subtly paler throat and sometimes an indistinctly lighter rump, making it appear quite monochromatic in flight. Distinguishing field marks include its classic cigar-shaped body, long, slend...
Primarily found in moist broadleaf forests at low to mid-elevations, often utilizing human structures like chimneys or disused buildings for roosting and nesting.
Exclusively an aerial insectivore, its diet consists of a wide variety of insects captured on the wing, including flies, beetles, ants, termites, and other small arthropods.
Lesser Antillean Swifts are almost entirely aerial, spending their days continuously foraging on the wing and only landing to roost or nest. They exhibit communal roosting behavior, often gathering in large numbers in hollow trees, caves, or human-made structures such as disused buildings and chi...
The Lesser Antillean Swift is a resident, non-migratory species found exclusively within the Lesser Antilles island chain of the Caribbean. Its breeding and year-round range spans from Saba, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, and Barbuda in the north, southwards through Montserrat, Guadelo...
Least Concern
- Lesser Antillean Swifts never land voluntarily on the ground or perches, only clinging vertically to rough surfaces to roost or nest. - Their nests are engineering marvels, constructed almost entirely from small twigs cemented together with their own sticky saliva. - Like many swift species, th...