Swallow-winged Puffbird

Overview

The swallow-winged puffbird, Chelidoptera tenebrosa, is a near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae and the only member of its genus. It is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is found across the Amazon Basin and parts of southeastern Brazil.

Identification

• Length of 14 to 15 cm with a weight of 30 to 41.5 g.
• Sooty black upperparts with bluish iridescence, contrasting with a white lower back and rump.
• Long, pointed wings and a short black tail with white tips that quickly wear away.
• Whitish chin and grayish throat, with a sooty black breast fading to grey and an orange-chestnut belly.
• Twittering song often given in flight, accompanied by calls described as 'tsi-tsi-tsi' and a high clear 'dí-didi dí-didi dí-didi…'.

Habitat

Found throughout the Amazon Basin to the foothills of the Andes and central Brazil, with additional populations in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil and Zulia, Venezuela. It inhabits open and semi-open landscapes, preferring areas with scattered bushes on sandy soils within generally forested regions, as well as savannas and forest edges. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,000 m, though it can locally reach 1,750 m.

Diet

The bird hunts by sorties from an exposed perch, capturing mostly flying insects on the wing. It consumes its prey in flight.

Did you know?

It digs nest tunnels in flat sandy ground or earthen banks, including human-made ones such as road cuts, and may actually benefit from human actions like road building.