Cypseloides cherriei
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The spot-fronted swift (Cypseloides cherriei) is a species of bird in subfamily Cypseloidinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela. The spot-fronted swift is monotypic.
The spot-fronted swift is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long and weighs about 23 g (0.81 oz). The sexes are alike. They are almost entirely blackish brown with grayish underwings and a white chin. They get their English name from bright white spots on either side of the bill and behind the eyes.
The spot-fronted swift has a scattered distribution. In Costa Rica it is mostly found on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Central and Cordillera de Talamanca. It is known in Panama from only a few locations and in Colombia and Ecuador from a larger number, though still widely separated. It is almost unknown in far western Venezuela and extreme northern Peru. It mostly inhabits montane forest at elevations between 1,100 and 2,200 m (3,600 and 7,200 ft) but has been documented at 300 m (980 ft) in Ecuador.
It is not known whether the spot-fronted swift is resident... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 6 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spot-fronted Swift sighting in Chirripó National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 304th most-seen of the 332 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Spot-fronted Swift in Chirripó National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Spot-fronted 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.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Spot-fronted Swift sightings, Chirripó National Park ranks 4th at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, under 5%), Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica, under 5%) and La Amistad International Park (Panama) (Panama, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Spot-fronted Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Chirripó National Park (7 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.
