The Andean swift (''Aeronautes andecolus'') is a species of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

in subfamily

Apodinae The Apodinae are a subfamily of swifts and contain the following species: Tribe Collocaliini - swiftlets * Genus ''Collocalia'' :* Plume-toed swiftlet (''Collocalia affinis'') :* Grey-rumped swiftlet (''Collocalia marginata'') :* Ridgetop swi ...

of the swift family

Apodidae The swifts are a family, Apodidae, of highly aerial birds. They are superficially similar to swallows, but are not closely related to any passerine species. Swifts are placed in the order Apodiformes with hummingbirds. The treeswifts are closely ...

. It is found in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, and

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

.HBW and BirdLife International (2021) Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International digital checklist of the birds of the world. Version 6. Available at: http://datazone.birdlife.org/userfiles/file/Species/Taxonomy/HBW-BirdLife_Checklist_v6_Dec21.zip retrieved August 7, 2022

Taxonomy and systematics

The Andean swift was at one time placed in genus ''Micropus'' which was later merged into ''Aeronautes'', and also in genus ''Apus'' from which it was split. Three subspecies are recognized, the

nominate Nomination is part of the process of selecting a candidate for either election to a public office, or the bestowing of an honor or award. A collection of nominees narrowed from the full list of candidates is a short list. Political office In the ...

''A. a. andecolus'', ''A. a. parvulus'', and ''A. a. peruvianus''. left, Andean swift flying

Description

The Andean swift is about long. It has sharply pointed wings and a long deeply forked tail. The sexes are alike. Adults of the nominate subspecies have mostly black upperparts with a white collar and band on the rump. Their face and underparts are mostly white to off-white with mottled buff on the flanks and vent. Subspecies ''A. a. parvulus'' is smaller than the nominate and the borders between black and white areas are very sharply defined. ''A. a. peruvianus'' is also smaller than the nominate. Its tail is shorter and less deeply forked, its white plumage is purer, and it has darker undertail

coverts A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are s ...

.Chantler, P. and P. F. D. Boesman (2020). Andean Swift (''Aeronautes andecolus''), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.andswi1.01 retrieved October 7, 2022

Distribution and habitat

Subspecies ''A. a. parvulus'' of the Andean swift is the northernmost; it is found on the western slope of the Andes from Peru's Cajamarca Department south into far northern Chile's

Tarapacá Region The Tarapacá Region ( es, Región de Tarapacá, ) is one of Chile's 16 first-order administrative divisions. It comprises two provinces, Iquique and Tamarugal. It borders the Chilean Arica and Parinacota Region to the north, Bolivia's Oruro D ...

. The nominate ''A. a. andecolus'' is found from central Bolivia south to

Río Negro Province Río Negro (, ''Black River'') is a province of Argentina, located in northern Patagonia. Neighboring provinces are from the south clockwise Chubut, Neuquén, Mendoza, La Pampa and Buenos Aires. To the east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Its capit ...

in west central Argentina. ''A. a. peruvianus'' is restricted to the east slope of the Andes in southeastern Peru. The Andean swift mostly inhabits semi-arid montane scrub landscapes though it is also found in both drier and more humid areas. It is occasionally seen over forested slopes. In elevation it mostly ranges between in Peru and Bolivia and between in Argentina. It has been recorded above in Peru.

Behavior

Movement

The Andean swift is a year-round resident throughout its range, though it may temporarily move to lower elevations to avoid snowstorms.

Feeding

Like all swifts, the Andean is an aerial insectivore, but no details of its diet are known. It often forages in flocks with wintering

chimney swift The chimney swift (''Chaetura pelagica'') is a bird belonging to the swift family Apodidae. A member of the genus ''Chaetura'', it is closely related to both the Vaux's swift and the Chapman's swift; in the past, the three were sometimes conside ...

s (''Chaetura pelagica'').

Breeding

Almost nothing is known about the Andean swift's breeding biology. It has been documented nesting in holes in steep rock faces but the nest itself has not been described.

Vocalization

The Andea swift's most common vocalization is "a buzzy, grating 'tzee-tz-tz-trrr...tzee-tz-tz-tzee...'." It also makes "a series of single notes 'tzree..tzree..tzree...'."

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has assessed the Andean swift as being of Least Concern. It has a large range, and though its population size is not known it is believed to be stable. No immediate threats have been identified. It is generally considered common, though uncommon in northern Chile and "local and irregular" in parts of Argentina.

References

External links

Photo
{{Taxonbar, from=Q490476 Andean swift Birds of the Andes Birds of the Puna grassland Andean swift Taxonomy articles created by Polbot