White-throated Swift

The White-throated Swift (Aeronautes saxatalis) is one of the most astonishing aerialists of the western skies. It spends almost its entire active life aloft, foraging, drinking, bathing, and even mating on the wing. Renowned for its blistering speed and high-level maneuverability, this swift is a master of wind currents and thermal updrafts. Unlike many other North American swifts, which are drab gray or brown, this species is sharply patterned in high-contrast black and white, making it a dramatic sight against rocky canyon walls.

Identifying a White-throated Swift relies heavily on its unique silhouette and starkly contrasting plumage.

• Silhouette & Wings: Exhibits long, narrow, crescent- or scythe-shaped wings and a torpedo-shaped body. The tail is relatively long and slightly forked, though it is often held tightly closed, appearing pointed.
• Coloration: The back, wings, and sides of the belly are dark blackish-brown to black. This dark plumage contrasts sharply with a brilliant white throat, chest, and a narrow white stripe extending down the center of its belly.
• Flank Patches: Two prominent, bright white patches wrap around the sides of the rump, visible from both below and side views.

Similar Species

• Violet-green Swallow: Often shares the same canyon habitats. However, swallows have broader, more triangular wings, a softer and more flappy flight style, and lack the long, narrow, scythe-like wing shape of swifts. Violet-green Swallows also lack the dark chest-to-rump contrast or the vertical white belly strip.
• Black Swift: Significantly larger, completely dark gray-black, with no white markings on the body.
• Vaux's Swift / Chimney Swift: Smaller, uniformly soot-gray with no white chest or flank patches, moving with a 'cigar-with-wings' appearance.

White-throated Swifts are closely tied to rugged, vertical landscapes. They are typically found in mountainous regions, deep river canyons, sheer cliffs, and rocky foothills.

• Range: Their breeding range extends from southern British Columbia through the western United States (including the Rocky Mountains, Cascade Range, Great Basin, and Coastal Ranges) down into Mexico and Central America.
• Migration: Northern populations migrate south for the winter, while populations in the southwestern United States and Mexico may remain year-round, retreating to lower elevations or coastal cliffs during harsh winter cold spells.
• Nesting Sites: They typically nest inside inaccessible, narrow vertical cracks or deep crevices high on rock cliffs. They are increasingly adapting to nesting on tall concrete highway overpasses and bridges.

The behavior of the White-throated Swift is defined by its near-constant state of flight.

• Feeding: They are strict aerial insectivores, flying at high speeds to capture beetles, flies, wasps, bees, and winged ants. They often feed high above the ground, but can descend rapidly to lake surfaces to scoop up water with their open bills.
• Vocalizations: They are highly vocal in flight. Their call is a loud, shrill, descending chattering or laughing series of notes: je-je-je-je-je-je-je, often given as small groups chase each other through canyons.
• Nesting: The nest is a half-saucer constructed of feathers, plant fibers, and grass, glued securely together and to the vertical rock wall inside a crevice using the bird's sticky saliva.
• Mating: Displays include dramatic aerial chases. Climaxing in mid-air, a pair will clasp together and spiral downward, tumbling hundreds of feet toward the earth before separation.