Abstract
The White-chinned Swift Cypseloides cryptus is perhaps one of the rarest swift species in the New World, and many aspects of its life history are poorly known. Here we report some new information on diet and reproductive behavior of a breeding population of C. cryptus at Asframa Falls, Rio Preto da Eva, Amazonas, Brazil. During four surveys at the breeding site (March and August 2012, July and August 2013), six active small cup-shaped nests were found and are described. Measurements and plumage information of five collected adults and two chicks are also provided. Stomach contents (n=5) revealed the presence of insects of the order Hymenoptera and Hemiptera. The presence of a member of Psyllidae (Hemiptera) in the stomach contents suggests that this swift might also use a slightly different foraging strategy than commonly stated about swifts. Additionally, with this new information it is possible to determine the presence of the species over at least nine months in Brazil, indicating year-round residence.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Ayarzaguena, J. 1984. Sobre Ia nidificación del vencejo castano (Cypseloides cryptus) (Aves: Apodidae). Memória de Ia Sociedad de Ciências Naturales La Salle, 122: 141–147.
Beebe, W. 1949. The swifts of Rancho Grande, north-central Venezuela, with special reference to migration. Zoológica, 34: 53–62.
Biancalana, R. N. (2015). Breeding biology of the Sooty Swift Cypseloides fumigatus in São Paulo, Brazil. Wilson Journal of Ornithology, inpress
Borror, D. J.; Triplehorn, C. A. & Johnson, N. F. 1992. An introduction to the study of insects, 6’hed. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Buli, E. L. & Beckwith, R. C. 1993. Diet and foraging behavior of Vaux’s Swifts in northeastern Oregon. Condor, 95: 1016–1023.
Chantler, P. 1999. Family Apodidae (swifts). pp. 388–457. In: del Hoyo J.; Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) Handbook of birds of the world. Volume 5: Barn-owls to hummingbirds (eds.), Barcelona: Lynx Edicions.
Foerster, K. S. 1987. The distribution and breeding biology of the Black Swift (Cypseloides niger) in southern Califórnia. M.Sc. thesis. Long Beach: Califórnia State University.
Howell, T. R. 1957. Birds of a second-growth rain forest área of Nicarágua. Condor, 59(2): 73–111.
Kiff, L. F. 1975. Notes on southwestern Costa Rican birds. Condor, 77: 101–103.
Knorr, O. 1961. The geographical and ecological distribution of the Black Swift in Colorado. Wilson Bulletin, 73: 155–170.
Lack, D. 1956. A review of the genera and nesting habits of swifts. Auk, 73(1): 1–32.
Marín, M. 1997. Some aspects of the breeding biology of the Black Swift. Wilson Bulletin, 109(2): 290–306.
Marín, M. A. & Stiles, G. F. 1992. On the biology of five species of swifts (Apodidae, Cypseloidinae) in Costa Rica. Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, 4(5): 287–351.
Marín, M. A. & Stiles, G. F. 1993. Notes on the biology of the Spot- fronted Swift. Condor, 95: 479–483.
Pichorim, M. 2002. The breeding biology of the Biscutate Swift (Streptoprocne biscutata) in southern Brazil. Ornitologia Neotropical, 13: 61–84.
Rafael, J. A.; Melo, G. A. R; de Carvalho, C. J. B.; Casari, S. A. & Constantino, R. 2012. Insetos do Brasil: diversidade e taxonomia. Ribeirão Preto: Holos Editora.
Roesler, I.; Kirwan, G. M.; Agostini, M. A.; Beadle, D.; Shirihai, H. & Binford, C. 2009. First sight records of White-chested Swift Cypseloides lemosi in Bolívia, with documented records of C. lemosi and White-chinned Swift C. cryptus in Peru. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 129(4): 222–228.
Schulenberg, T. S.; Stotz, D. R; Lane, D. R; O’Neill, J. R & Parker, T. A. 2007. Birds of Peru. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Simon, J. E. & Pacheco, R 2005. On the standardization of nest descriptions of Neotropical birds. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 13(2): 143–154.
Whitacre, D. R 1989. Conditional use of nest structures by White- naped and White-collared Swifts. Condor, 91: 813–125.
Whittaker, A. & Whittaker, S. A. 2008. The White-chinned Swift Cypseloides cryptus (Apodiformes: Apodidae) breeding near Presidente Figueiredo, Amazonas: the first documented record for Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia, 16(4): 398–401.
Winker, K. 2000. Obtaining, preserving, and preparing bird specimens. JournalofField Ornithology, 71(2): 250–297.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Brito, G.R.R., Figueira, D.M., Buainain, N. et al. Diet and breeding of the poorly known White-chinned Swift Cypseloides cryptus Zimmer, 1945, in Brazil. Rev. Bras. Ornitol. 23, 398–404 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03544316
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03544316