Bird
Bird
Short-tailed Swift
Chaetura brachyura
The Short-tailed Swift is a small, fast-flying aerial insectivore commonly seen wheeling in loose flocks high over Trinidad and Tobago, spending almost its entire waking life on the wing and rarely, if ever, seen perched.
The Short-tailed Swift is a small, fast-flying aerial insectivore commonly seen wheeling in loose flocks high over Trinidad and Tobago, spending almost its entire waking life on the wing and rarely, if ever, seen perched.
Identification
A small, compact swift around 10 to 11 cm long, blackish-brown overall with a paler, greyish rump and a very short, squared tail that gives the species its common name and distinguishes it in flight from longer-tailed swifts. The wings are long, narrow, and swept back, producing rapid, flickering wingbeats characteristic of swifts as a family.
Ecology
An aerial insectivore, the Short-tailed Swift feeds entirely on flying insects caught on the wing, often at considerable height, foraging in loose to dense flocks that wheel and circle over forest, forest edge, and open country. It nests colonially, typically inside hollow trees or, increasingly, inside chimneys and other man-made cavities, using a nest of twigs and plant fibre glued together and to the cavity wall with saliva. Swifts of this family rarely if ever land voluntarily, resting only by clinging to vertical surfaces inside nesting cavities.
Status in T&T
Common and widespread across both Trinidad and Tobago, seen foraging over forest, towns, and open country alike. It is not threatened. It is protected under the Conservation of Wildlife Act and is not a game species.
Threats
- Loss of large hollow trees suitable for nest colonies
