Chaetura chapmani
Silhouette: Aviceda (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
Chapman's swift (Chaetura chapmani) is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela, and possibly Ecuador.
For a time in the late 20th century viridipennis was treated as a separate species, the "Amazonian" or "Mato Grosso" swift but taxonomic systems soon returned to the previous two-subspecies model. Long ago, Chapman's swift, chimney swift (C. pelagica), and Vaux's swift (C. vauxi) were treated as a single species.
The species' English name and specific epithet honor "that famous student of Neotropical birds, Frank M. Chapman". Chapman's swift is 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 20.75 to 28 g (0.73 to 0.99 oz). It has a protruding head, a short square tail, and wings that bulge in the middle and somewhat hook at the end. The sexes are alike. The nominate subspecies has glossy black upperparts with a dark gray rump and uppertail coverts. Its underparts are entirely dark brown. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brownsberg Nature Park | 🇸🇷 Suriname | |
| 2 | Anavilhanas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Chapman's Swift sighting in Manu National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 595th most-seen of the 641 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 Chapman's Swift in Manu National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Chapman's Swift sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Chapman's Swift sightings, Manu National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Brownsberg Nature Park (Suriname, about 10%) and Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Chapman's Swift is recorded against all the birds logged in Manu National Park (8 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.
