Scarce Swift
Schoutedenapus myoptilus (Salvadori, 1888)
16 cmLength24 gWeight
The scarce swift (Schoutedenapus myoptilus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
Busiest months: November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: November · Most records: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
Scarce Swift has been recorded at 80 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 11 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Mt Kenya NP – Castle Forest and LodgeKenya330 records
- Aberfoyle LodgeZimbabwe60 records
- Arusha NPTanzania60 records
More places
- Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest NP – BuhomaUganda47 records
- Bwindi-Impenetrable Forest NP – Entrance RoadUganda40 records
- Nyungwe NP – Gisakura, Ndambarare TrailRwanda35 records
- Batini near USA RiverTanzania34 records
- East Usambara Mountains – Amani Nature ReserveTanzania34 records
- Nyungwe Forest NPRwanda26 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania26 records
Countries and regions with the most records
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 scarce swift (Schoutedenapus myoptilus) is a species of swift in the family Apodidae.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Scarce Swift?
The Scarce Swift is about 16 cm long and weighs around 24 g.
Where does the Scarce Swift live?
Its breeding range: Africa: eastern, east-central. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
When is the best time to see the Scarce Swift?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Scarce Swift endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Scarce Swift as Least Concern.
What does the Scarce Swift eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Scarce Swift in?
It belongs to the family Swifts (Apodidae), order Apodiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 16 cm
- Weight
- 24 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 130 mm
- Tail
- 69 mm
- Bill
- 9 mm
- Tarsus
- 11 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: eastern, east-central
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Apodiformes
- Family
- Swifts Apodidae
- Genus
- Schoutedenapus
More from the family Swifts
Spot-fronted SwiftCypseloides cherriei
White-chinned SwiftCypseloides cryptus
White-fronted SwiftCypseloides storeri
Sooty SwiftCypseloides fumigatus
Rothschild's SwiftCypseloides rothschildi
American Black SwiftCypseloides niger
White-chested SwiftCypseloides lemosi
Great Dusky SwiftCypseloides senex
Tepui SwiftStreptoprocne phelpsi
Chestnut-collared SwiftStreptoprocne rutila
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by markuslilje (Markus Lilje, iNaturalist). ↗
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