Costa Rican Swift

Costa Rican Swift

Chaetura fumosa

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at La Amistad International Park (Panama)

In 3 days <5%

40 Verified sightings at La Amistad International Park (Panama) From 2019 to 2026
2,349 In all 7 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Costa Rican Swift

The Costa Rican swift (Chaetura fumosa) is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama. During much of the 20th century the Costa Rican swift was treated as a subspecies of the band-rumped swift (C. spinicaudus). Before that time it was placed in genus Acanthylis with several other swifts that are now classified in genus Chaetura. The Costa Rican swift is monotypic.

The Costa Rican swift is about 11 cm (4.3 in) long. The sexes are alike. Their head is dusky. Their upperparts are mostly sooty black with a blue gloss and a pale grayish rump and dull black uppertail coverts. Their throat and breast are pale grayish.

The Costa Rican swift is found from southwestern Costa Rica east into western Panama's Chiriquí Province. The International Ornithological Committee places it in Colombia as well, but the South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society has no records from that country. It occurs over several forest types, semi-open areas, pastures, and agricultural fields. In elevation it mostly occurs below 900 m (3,000... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:01

Costa Rica · 2010

© Peter Boesman · XC274408 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:19

Costa Rica · 2011

© Andrew Spencer · XC71725 · CC BY-NC-ND 2.5

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~30%
2 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 San José 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Costa Rican Swift in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Costa Rican Swift sighting in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 543rd most-seen of the 657 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Costa Rican Swift in La Amistad International Park (Panama)?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Costa Rican Swift in La Amistad International Park (Panama) on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Costa Rican Swift?

Between 7 and 10 am

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

Is La Amistad International Park (Panama) the best place to see a Costa Rican Swift?

7th of 7

Of the 7 parks where we can rate Costa Rican Swift sightings, La Amistad International Park (Panama) ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%), Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).

Where does the Costa Rican Swift sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Costa Rican Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in La Amistad International Park (Panama) (40 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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