Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Band-rumped Swift
Chaetura spinicaudus
Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus) — Swifts of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus) is a member of the Apodidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 15.7 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Apodiformes
- Family Apodidae Swifts
- Genus Chaetura
- Species spinicaudus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 15.7 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Apodidae
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Band-rumped Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of dense forest, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Band-rumped Swift is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus) is a species of bird in the Apodidae family, part of the order Apodiformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Panama to c Brazil.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 15.7 g, with a wing length of about 10.4 cm and a tail of around 4.1 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 3.1 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Band-rumped Swift?
The Band-rumped Swift is a small bird that weighs around 15.7 g.
Where does the Band-rumped Swift live?
The Band-rumped Swift is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Panama to c Brazil, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Band-rumped Swift belong to?
The Band-rumped Swift (Chaetura spinicaudus) belongs to the Apodidae family, in the order Apodiformes.
What does the Band-rumped Swift eat?
The Band-rumped Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Band-rumped Swift migrate?
The Band-rumped Swift is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Band-rumped Swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
What sound does the Band-rumped Swift make?
1 real field recording of the Band-rumped Swift — including its flight call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Band-rumped Swift's range?
The Band-rumped Swift has a mapped global range of about 3.1 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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