Bird Guide Swifts White-throated Swift
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White-throated Swift

White-throated Swift
At a Glance Range & Identification Conservation Back to Top

At a Glance

All bird guide text and rangemaps adapted from Lives of North American Birds by Kenn Kaufman© 1996, used by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Category
Swallow-like Birds, Swifts
IUCN Status
Least Concern
Habitat
Arroyos and Canyons, Desert and Arid Habitats, Forests and Woodlands, High Mountains, Shrublands, Savannas, and Thickets
Region
California, Northwest, Plains, Rocky Mountains, Southwest, Texas, Western Canada
Behavior
Erratic, Rapid Wingbeats, Swooping

Range & Identification

Migration & Range Maps

Description

Size
About the size of a Robin, About the size of a Sparrow
Color
Black, White
Wing Shape
Long, Narrow, Pointed, Tapered
Tail Shape
Long, Notched, Pointed, Square-tipped

Songs and Calls

Call Pattern
Flat, Undulating
Call Type
Chirp/Chip, Scream, Trill

Conservation

Change in Abundance Over Time
Drawing on more than a century of community science from the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), this chart shows how this species’ relative abundance has shifted in recent decades. Explore more and get involved in the CBC.

Climate Map

Audubon’s scientists have used 140 million bird observations and sophisticated climate models to project how climate change will affect the range of the White-throated Swift. Learn even more in Audubon’s Survival By Degrees project.

Climate Threats Facing the White-throated Swift

Choose a temperature scenario below to see which threats will affect this species as warming increases. The same climate change-driven threats that put birds at risk will affect other wildlife and people, too.