One of the 6 swifts on WAnimals
Birds · Caprimulgiformes · Apodidae
White-collared Swift
Streptoprocne zonaris
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The white-collared swift is an apodiform bird of the swift family resident from the United States through Central America and the islands of the Antilles to Argentina and south-eastern Brazil.
Weight
90 g – 130 g
Size
20 cm – 22 cm
Lifespan
15 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Colony
Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It nests behind waterfalls: it fixes the nest to the wet rock behind the curtain of water, and the adults fly through the fall to come and go, a place practically inaccessible to any predator.
- Its flocks range tens of kilometres a day following concentrations of insects, and can appear in and vanish from a valley within hours.
- Like all swifts it can barely perch: its feet serve only to cling to vertical surfaces, and it spends practically its whole life in the air.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Canyons, waterfalls and mountain cliffs of tropical America; it hunts over forest and valleys
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 27 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-collared_swift
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with White-collared Swift — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Black Swift
Cypseloides niger
Green-backed Firecrown
Sephanoides sephaniodes
White-bearded Manakin
Manacus manacus
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Spizaetus ornatus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Black-and-chestnut Eagle
Spizaetus isidori
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