Aeronautes andecolus
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The Andean swift (Aeronautes andecolus) is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The Andean swift was at one time placed in genus Micropus which was later merged into Aeronautes, and also in genus Apus from which it was split.
The Andean swift is about 14 cm (5.5 in) long. It has sharply pointed wings and a long deeply forked tail. The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have mostly black upperparts with a white collar and band on the rump. Their face and underparts are mostly white to off-white with mottled buff on the flanks and vent. Its tail is shorter and less deeply forked, its white plumage is purer, and it has darker undertail coverts.
Subspecies A. a. parvulus of the Andean swift is the northernmost; it is found on the western... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amboró National Park | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Swift sighting in Lauca National Park on a given day, based on 38 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 86th most-seen of the 112 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Andean Swift in Lauca National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April–May and November–February, the lowest months. That is one of Lauca National Park's driest months, with almost no rain against 150 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Andean 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.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Andean Swift sightings, Lauca National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Amboró National Park (Bolivia, about 10%).
Same order: Apodiformes
The closest relatives of the Andean Swift that you can see in Lauca National Park (order Apodiformes, Swifts and Hummingbirds) are Andean Hillstar (about 50%), Giant Hummingbird (about 20%) and Sparkling Violetear (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Andean Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Lauca National Park (38 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.
