Andean Swift Aeronautes andecolus Scientific name definitions

A medium-sized swift of higher elevations in western South America, the Andean Swift was only recently split out of the genus Apus, and into the genus Aeronautes. There are currently three described subspecies of the Andean Swift. An aerial insectivore, the Andean Swift spends nearly all of its waking hours on the wing in search of food. It is more likely to be found flying over arid, montane scrubland, rather than over forested slopes. Due to its relatively inaccessible breeding locations on high, mountain cliffs, very little is known about the Andean Swift's breeding biology; details about its clutch size, breeding phenology and nest form have never been described.

14 cm. Medium-sized swift with broad inner wing, sharply pointed outer wing and long, deeply forked tail ; black upperparts broken by narrow white trailing edge to secondaries, white rump band and white collar; largely white/off-white below on face , throat and underparts , with buff-mottled flanks and ventral area. Race <em>parvulus</em> slightly smaller than nominate and very contrastingly pluma­ged; peruvianus smaller than nominate with shorter and more shallowly forked tail; lacks buff tints to white plumage and has darker undertail-coverts and more interrupted collar.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Main habitats defined as arid montane scrub and semi-humid or humid montane scrub. ­Typically over semi-arid mountainous areas, often bushy or with scattered cacti and more rarely over forested slopes, at 340–3900 m (2500–3550 m in Peru and Bolivia, 2000–2500 m in southernmost areas of range). Has been recorded above 4100 m in Peru.

Resident. May move as a result of snowstorms at high altitude.

Gregarious and highly mobile forager; associates with wintering C. pelagica.

Most common call is a buzzy, grating “tzee-tz-tz-trrr...tzee-tz-tz-tzee...” phrase or similar. Also a series of single notes “tzree..tzree..tzree...”.

Observed entering hole in road cutting where young were being fed, early Dec, N Tarapacá, Chile. Recorded nesting in holes in steep rock-faces, but nest form not recorded.

Not globally threatened. Common throughout range, except N Chile where uncommon and irregular at Arica , Camarones Gorge and Chusmisa in mountains of Tarapacá. Local and irregular in parts of Argentina.