Swallow-winged Puffbird

The Swallow-winged Puffbird stands apart from its relatives in the puffbird family by its long, pointed wings and habitually aerial foraging style, more reminiscent of a swallow than a typical sit-and-wait puffbird. Plumage is sooty black to dark gray overall, with a contrasting white patch on the lower back and rich chestnut-rufous undertail coverts and rump visible in flight. The short tail and compact body give it a distinctive silhouette when perched on a bare snag.

Key field marks

• Long, pointed, swallow-like wings and short tail.
• Sooty blackish-gray body.
• White patch on the lower back, chestnut-rufous rump/undertail coverts.
• Habitually perches on exposed dead snags, especially over water.

Similar species

No other Neotropical puffbird shares this species' long pointed wings and habitual aerial sallying; the combination of dark plumage, white back patch, and chestnut vent is unmistakable within its range.

This species is closely tied to river edges, oxbow lakes, forest clearings, and other open areas with scattered dead trees or snags for perching, throughout the Amazon basin, the Guianas, and parts of the Orinoco basin. It is a non-migratory resident of the lowlands, rarely far from water or open airspace.

Voice

A thin, high-pitched whistled call, often given in flight or from a perch; relatively quiet compared to some relatives.

Feeding

Unlike most puffbirds, which sally briefly from a perch, the Swallow-winged Puffbird makes extended, swallow-like circling flights high over rivers and clearings to catch flying insects, frequently returning to the same conspicuous snag perch between foraging bouts.

Nesting and breeding

Pairs and small groups excavate nest burrows in earthen banks, often riverbanks, sometimes nesting semi-colonially. Both parents are believed to help with incubation and feeding of the young.