Cypseloides cryptus
Silhouette: vectorized by Rob Sparks · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The white-chinned swift (Cypseloides cryptus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae. It is found from Mexico south through most Central America countries into South America as far south as Peru and east as far as Suriname.
The white-chinned swift is monotypic. Some authors consider it and the white-fronted swift (Cypseloides storeri) to form a superspecies. Others consider it more closely related to the sooty swift (C. fumigatus) and Rothschild's swift (C. rothschildi) or that all three of them are a single species.
The white-chinned swift is about 15 cm (5.9 in) long and weighs about 35 g (1.2 oz). The sexes are alike. They have a dark brown crown and cheeks, a short white streak above the eye, a white chin, and a dark brown throat. Their back and rump are blackish brown and the wings and tail slightly darker. Their undersides are paler than the back and rump and the underside of the wing is paler than the upper side.
The white-chinned swift is widely but very patchily distributed. It has been confirmed to nest only in Costa Rica and at one location in northern Brazil. There are sight records in... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 3 | Podocarpus National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Rincón de la Vieja National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 9 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-chinned Swift sighting in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, based on 216 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 161st most-seen of the 375 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and September–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a White-chinned Swift in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–May and July–August, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-chinned Swift sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 10 parks where we can rate White-chinned Swift sightings, Bastimentos Island National Marine Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come La Amistad International Park (Panama) (Panama, under 5%) and Podocarpus National Park (Ecuador, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the White-chinned Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (216 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
