Biscutate Swift

Biscutate Swift

Streptoprocne biscutata

Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Chapada Diamantina National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

279 Verified sightings at Chapada Diamantina National Park From 2019 to 2026
389 In all 4 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Biscutate Swift

The biscutate swift (Streptoprocne biscutata) is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and possibly Paraguay. The biscutate swift is about 22 cm (8.7 in) long and weighs about 115 g (4.1 oz). It has an almost square tail and the sexes have the same plumage. Adults of the nominate subspecies have a sooty brown head that is lighter on the forehead, chin, and around the eyes. Their body is sooty blackish brown except for a wide white band across the breast and a narrow white band on the nape and somewhat on the sides of the neck; the bands do not meet. The wing and tail feathers are blackish on their outer webs and pale gray brown on the inner ones. Juveniles are similar to adults with the addition of grayish white edges to the belly feathers and the tips of the tail. Subspecies S. b. seridoensis has essentially the same plumage as the nominate but is smaller.

The nominate subspecies of biscutate swift is found from Minas Gerais in southeastern... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call1:23

Brazil · 2020

© Daniel Mello · XC587510 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:15

Brazil · 2003

© Jeremy Minns · XC85424 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Canto em voo0:04

Brazil · 2017

© Caio Brito · XC427977 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~30%
2 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
3 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Curitiba 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
2 Belo Horizonte 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Biscutate Swift in Chapada Diamantina National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Biscutate Swift sighting in Chapada Diamantina National Park on a given day, based on 279 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 39th most-seen of the 271 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Biscutate Swift in Chapada Diamantina National Park?

October and November

In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Biscutate Swift in Chapada Diamantina National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Biscutate Swift?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Biscutate Swift sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where does the Biscutate Swift sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Biscutate Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Chapada Diamantina National Park (279 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.

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