Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Chapman’s Swift
Chaetura chapmani
Chapman's Swift (Chaetura chapmani) — Swifts of Central America & Caribbean.
Found across 8 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Chapman’s Swift (Chaetura chapmani) is a member of the Apodidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 23.8 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 chapmani
Where it lives
Panama to northeastern Brazil and western Amazonia
Quick facts
- Weight
- 23.8 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Apodidae
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
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Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Chapman’s 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 Chapman’s Swift is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
The Chapman’s Swift (Chaetura chapmani) is a member of the Apodidae family, within the order Apodiformes. Its range spans Central America & Caribbean and South America. Its distribution covers MA, SA Panama to ne Brazil and w Amazonia.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 23.8 g, with a wing length of about 12.3 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 4.7 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Chapman’s Swift?
The Chapman’s Swift is a small bird that weighs around 23.8 g.
Where does the Chapman’s Swift live?
The Chapman’s Swift is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Panama to ne Brazil and w Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Chapman’s Swift belong to?
The Chapman’s Swift (Chaetura chapmani) belongs to the Apodidae family, in the order Apodiformes.
What does the Chapman’s Swift eat?
The Chapman’s Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Chapman’s Swift migrate?
The Chapman’s Swift is partially migratory: some populations move with the seasons while others stay resident year-round.
Is the Chapman’s 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 Chapman’s Swift make?
1 real field recording of the Chapman’s Swift — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.
How large is the Chapman’s Swift's range?
The Chapman’s Swift has a mapped global range of about 4.7 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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