Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Short-tailed Swift
Chaetura brachyura
Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura) — 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 Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura) is a member of the Apodidae family found in Central America & Caribbean and South America. Adults weigh 18.3 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 brachyura
Quick facts
- Weight
- 18.3 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Apodidae
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Habitat
- Urban & human-modified
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Short-tailed Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Behaviour
A bird of farmland, parks and gardens, it is highly aerial, spending much of its time on the wing.
Migration
The Short-tailed Swift is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura) 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 through Amazonia.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 18.3 g, with a wing length of about 11.9 cm and a tail of around 2.9 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 7.5 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Short-tailed Swift?
The Short-tailed Swift is a small bird that weighs around 18.3 g.
Where does the Short-tailed Swift live?
The Short-tailed Swift is found across Central America & Caribbean and South America with a range covering MA, SA Panama through Amazonia, where it adapts readily to towns, parks and gardens.
What family does the Short-tailed Swift belong to?
The Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura) belongs to the Apodidae family, in the order Apodiformes.
What does the Short-tailed Swift eat?
The Short-tailed Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Short-tailed Swift migrate?
The Short-tailed Swift is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Short-tailed 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 Short-tailed Swift make?
1 real field recording of the Short-tailed 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 Short-tailed Swift's range?
The Short-tailed Swift has a mapped global range of about 7.5 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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