American Black Swift (Cypseloides niger)
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American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger (Gmelin, JF, 1789)

40 gWeight

The American black swift, or more simply black swift (Cypseloides niger), is a species of bird that is found from northern British Columbia in Canada through the United States and Mexico to Costa Rica and Brazil.

Busiest months: June · Most records: Canada, United States, Costa Rica

Vulnerable

Where and when it's recorded

American Black Swift has been recorded at 360 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 28 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Marymoor ParkUnited States506 records
  2. Coquitlam—ƛ̓éx t m (tla-hut-um) Regional ParkCanada295 records
  3. Parque Ecológico El HayaMexico209 records
More places
  1. Reifel Bird SanctuaryCanada202 records
  2. Rocky Point Bird ObservatoryCanada197 records
  3. Salmon Arm BayCanada175 records
  4. Lake Sammamish SPUnited States155 records
  5. Squamish River EstuaryCanada147 records
  6. Castlegar – Selkirk College TrailsCanada138 records
  7. Tranquilo Bay Eco-Adventure LodgePanama136 records

Countries and regions with the most records

CanadaUnited StatesCosta RicaMexicoPanamaJamaicaPuerto RicoGuadeloupe

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The American black swift, or more simply black swift (Cypseloides niger), is a species of bird that is found from northern British Columbia in Canada through the United States and Mexico to Costa Rica and Brazil. They are also found in the Caribbean.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the American Black Swift?

The American Black Swift weighs around 40 g.

Where does the American Black Swift live?

Its breeding range: North America, Middle America: western. It is most often recorded in Canada, United States and Costa Rica.

When is the best time to see the American Black Swift?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in June (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the American Black Swift endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the American Black Swift as Vulnerable.

What does the American Black Swift eat?

Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.

What family is the American Black Swift in?

It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.

At a glance

Weight
40 g
Habitat
Forest
Diet
Insects & other invertebrates
Lifestyle
Feeds in the air
Migration
Partial migrant
Conservation
Vulnerable
More measurements
Wing
149 mm
Tail
59 mm
Bill
9 mm
Tarsus
12 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Middle America: western

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
Swifts Apodidae
Genus
Cypseloides

Other birds in the genus Cypseloides

American Black Swift

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by samzhang. ↗

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