White-tipped Swift

White-tipped Swift

Aeronautes montivagus

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Henri Pittier National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

140 Verified sightings at Henri Pittier National Park From 2019 to 2026
293 In all 4 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-tipped Swift

The white-tipped swift (Aeronautes montivagus) is a species of bird in the subfamily Apodinae of the family Apodidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, and possibly Guyana.

The white-tipped swift was at one time placed in genus Micropus which was later merged into Aeronautes. The white-tipped swift is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs 17 to 33 g (0.60 to 1.2 oz). It has slim pointed wings and a long slightly notched tail. Adult males of the nominate subspecies are blackish brown on the crown and around the eye; most of the rest of the face is gray brown. Their upperparts are the same blackish brown as the crown. Their tail is black-brown with wide white tips to the feathers. Their wings are blackish brown with white edges on some feathers. Their throat, sides of the neck, and the upper breast are white. The rest of their underparts are a slightly lighter blackish brown than the upperparts, with white patches around the legs. Adult females are browner than males with sometimes a paler lower... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:15

Venezuela · 2008

© Joe Klaiber · XC197452 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Begging call0:30

Peru · 2012

© John van Dort · XC114387 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Flight call0:39

Peru · 2006

© Willem-Pier Vellinga · XC5180 · CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
2 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~20%
3 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
4 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Caracas 🇻🇪 Venezuela
<5%
2 La Paz 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-tipped Swift in Henri Pittier National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a White-tipped Swift sighting in Henri Pittier National Park on a given day, based on 140 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 358 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-tipped Swift in Henri Pittier National Park?

August and September

In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-tipped Swift in Henri Pittier National Park on a given day, against about 10% in March, May and November–January, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-tipped Swift?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most White-tipped 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.

Is Henri Pittier National Park the best place to see a White-tipped Swift?

Yes

Of the 4 parks where we can rate White-tipped Swift sightings, Henri Pittier National Park has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Amboró National Park (Bolivia, about 20%) and Los Nevados National Natural Park (Colombia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the White-tipped Swift live in Henri Pittier National Park?

Same family: Apodidae

The closest relatives of the White-tipped Swift that you can see in Henri Pittier National Park (family Apodidae, Swifts) are White-collared Swift (about 20%), Vaux's Swift (about 20%) and Gray-rumped Swift (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-tipped Swift sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-tipped Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Henri Pittier National Park (140 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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