Introduction
This page gives identification advice for identifying small white-rumped swifts. All the species here are extremely similar and some are only recently elevated species. Many exhibit long-distance vagrancy which further complicates identification.
Characters to concentrate on
- region: widespread vagrancy limits the utility of this
- head: how dark or pale the head is. Can be affected by pale scaling on the crown.
- throat: size of the pale throat patch and how clearly demarcated it is from the rest of the head. Ranges from a very large patch with strong demarcation (Little Swift) to a barred throat which appears occluded (Cook's Swift).
- underwing: the underwing can exhibit subtle banding effects from pale covert feather fringes. Ranges from absent to the strong median covert band of Horus Swift.
- underparts: main division is between plain underparts and those with clear scaling (Pacific Swift group)
- rump: the size of the white rump patch. Ranges from the very large, very visible white patch in Little Swift to non-existent in some morphs or subspecies of Horus.
- tail fork: depth of the tail fork, from the near-square tail end of Little Swift to the streamers of White-rumped Swift.
- other characters: other important characters.
| species | region | head | throat | underwing | underparts | rump | tail fork | other characters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horus Swift standard subspecies | Africa | palest; may show pale supercilium | diffuse with little demarcation from head | paler tips may form a very broad median and more diffuse greater covert band | plain | wide, easily seen from below | medium; pointed feathers | |
| Horus Swift dark subspecies/morph | Africa | pale; may show paler supercilium | reduced paler patch with no demarcation from rest of head | plain dark | plain | brown, no white band | medium; pointed feathers | |
| House Swift | SE Asia | dark | large patch with strong demarcation | plain dark or with very restricted paler median and greater covert tips | plain | wide, often visible from below | slight (more than Little); slightly pointed feathers | vent, undertail dark |
| Little Swift | Spain, Middle East, Africa, Indian sub-continent | may be pale-faced | very large patch with strong demarcation | plain dark or with very restricted paler median and greater covert tips | plain | wide, easily seen from below | none (square), or with central indentation; rounded feathers | vent, undertail coverts often paler, greyer |
| Pacific Swift | SE Asia, Australia | clearly scaled so appears lighter | large diffuse pale patch with ragged border | paler tips may form two ragged bands on median and greater coverts | scaled | wide, minimal shaft streaks means appears white; often visible from below | deep; quite pointed feathers | |
| Salim Ali's Swift | Tibet, China | less scaley so appears darker | restricted due to barring at base and sides; clearer border | paler tips may form two equal bands on median and greater coverts | scaled | wide but slightly less than Pacific, more shaft streaks means less white; often visible from below | deep; quite pointed feathers | |
| Blyth's Swift | Himalaya, India | clearly scaled so appears lighter | variable; in some extends far down to breast; diffuse border | paler tips producing even median and less even greater covert band | scaled | narrower; minimal shaft streaks means appears white; hardly visible from below | deep; quite pointed feathers | |
| Cook's Swift | Thailand, Burma, China | dark crown | usually strongly barred so dark with no clear border | paler covert tips may be present producing a median band | scaled | restricted; heavy shaft streaks; not visible from below | deep; quite pointed feathers | faint greenish gloss on back diagnostic |
| White-rumped Swift | Iberia, Africa | may be pale headed but with dark line demarcating the throat | large patch with strong demarcation | paler tips may form a broad median and thinner greater covert band | dark sometimes with faint scales | narrow, not visible from below | deep; sharply pointed feathers |
Based on and summarised from reference [1] with additional analysis from Macauley images.
Key Comparisons
- Little Swift vs House Swift: a paler vent area distinguishes some Little Swifts.
- Horus Swift "standard" morph/subspecies vs others: a pale head with no really demarcated throat patch, and strong banding on the underwing median coverts.
- Horus Swift dark morph/subspecies vs others: a paler head with no really demarcated throat patch
- White-rumped Swift: tail shape where clear
- Pacific Swift group: from others by pronounced scaling of the underparts. Within this group see table (difficult).
References
- Justin J F J Jansen & Gerald Driessens (2023) Horus Swift: identification, plumage variation and distribution. Dutch Birding 45: 73-116
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Identifying small white-rumped swifts. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Identifying_small_white-rumped_swifts
