Gray-rumped Swift

Gray-rumped Swift

Chaetura cinereiventris

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Main Ridge Forest Reserve

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

200 Verified sightings at Main Ridge Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
5,128 In all 32 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Gray-rumped Swift

The grey-rumped swift or gray-rumped swift (Chaetura cinereiventris) is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama; in every mainland South American country except Chile, French Guiana, Suriname, and Uruguay; in Trinidad and Tobago; and on Grenada.

The grey-rumped swift, pale-rumped swift (C. egregia), band-rumped swift (C. spinicaudus), and Lesser Antillean swift (C. martinica) were at one time placed in genus Acanthylis. Some authors have suggested that the grey-rumped and pale-rumped swifts are conspecific. Others have suggested that all of the grey-rumped subspecies except the nominate C. c. cinereiventris belong to another species under the binomial C. sclateri.

The grey-rumped swift is about 10.5 cm (4.1 in) long and weighs about 17 g (0.60 oz). It has... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Flight call0:43

Brazil · 2025

© Joost van Bruggen · XC1050501 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:17

Ecuador · 2024

© Manuel Sanchez-Nivicela · XC931026 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:25

Colombia · 2021

© Peter Boesman · XC693398 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~50%
2 Main Ridge Forest Reserve 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
~20%
3 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Henri Pittier National Park 🇻🇪 Venezuela
~20%
5 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~10%
6 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
10 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%
11 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
12 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
13 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
14 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
15 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
16 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
17 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
18 Manu National Park 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
19 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
20 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
21 Caroni Swamp 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago
<5%
22 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
23 Tambopata National Reserve 🇵🇪 Peru
<5%
24 Podocarpus National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
25 Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
26 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
27 Amboró National Park 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
28 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
29 Poás Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
30 Los Nevados National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
31 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
32 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
<5%
2 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
3 Manaus 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
4 Guayaquil 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
5 São Paulo 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Gray-rumped Swift in Main Ridge Forest Reserve?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-rumped Swift sighting in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, based on 200 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 57th most-seen of the 103 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 Gray-rumped Swift in Main Ridge Forest Reserve?

August

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-rumped Swift in Main Ridge Forest Reserve on a given day, against about 10% in January–February and September–November, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Gray-rumped Swift?

Between 3 and 6 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-rumped 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 Main Ridge Forest Reserve the best place to see a Gray-rumped Swift?

2nd of 32

Of the 32 parks where we can rate Gray-rumped Swift sightings, Main Ridge Forest Reserve ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Brazil, about 50%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Gray-rumped Swift sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Gray-rumped Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Main Ridge Forest Reserve (200 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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