Photo: Hector Bottai / CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Sick’s Swift
Chaetura meridionalis
Sick's Swift (Chaetura meridionalis) — Swifts of South America.
Found across 6 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Sick’s Swift (Chaetura meridionalis) is a member of the Apodidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 22.2 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 meridionalis
Quick facts
- Weight
- 22.2 g
- Diet
- Invertebrate-eaters
- Family
- Apodidae
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Sick’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 Sick’s Swift is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
The Sick’s Swift (Chaetura meridionalis) is a member of the Apodidae family, within the order Apodiformes. It is found across South America. Its distribution covers SA s Brazil to e Bolivia, Paraguay and n Argentina.
It is a small bird. Adults weighs around 22.2 g, with a wing length of about 13.2 cm and a tail of around 3.9 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
Its mapped global range covers an estimated 4.9 million km².
Songs & calls
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Sick’s Swift?
The Sick’s Swift is a small bird that weighs around 22.2 g.
Where does the Sick’s Swift live?
The Sick’s Swift is found across South America with a range covering SA s Brazil to e Bolivia, Paraguay and n Argentina, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Sick’s Swift belong to?
The Sick’s Swift (Chaetura meridionalis) belongs to the Apodidae family, in the order Apodiformes.
What does the Sick’s Swift eat?
The Sick’s Swift is a invertivore — it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as insects and other small prey.
Does the Sick’s Swift migrate?
The Sick’s Swift is migratory, making regular seasonal journeys between its breeding and non-breeding ranges.
Is the Sick’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 Sick’s Swift make?
1 real field recording of the Sick’s 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 Sick’s Swift's range?
The Sick’s Swift has a mapped global range of about 4.9 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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