About Chaetura brachyura (Jardine, 1846)
Description: The short-tailed swift (Chaetura brachyura) is around 10.5 cm long and weighs approximately 20 g. It has long narrow wings, a robust body, and a short tail, with males and females having similar appearance. Its plumage is mainly black, with a pale rump and pale tail. This species can be told apart from related species that share its range, such as the band-rumped swift (C. spinicauda) and the gray-rumped swift (C. cinereiventris), by the lack of color contrast between its rump and tail; in the other related species, the tail is much darker. Distribution and habitat: This swift is a common resident in Trinidad, Tobago, Grenada, Saint Vincent, and tropical South America. Its South American range extends from Panama, Colombia, and the Guianas south to Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil; within Brazil, it occurs across the entire Amazon Basin, excluding most of the southeastern Amazon Basin. It rarely occurs above 800 m above sea level, even in the hottest sections of its range and in the mountainous or hilly terrain it lives in, though it has been recorded at elevations as high as 1,300 m above sea level. It can be found in a variety of habitats, including savanna, open woodland, and cultivated land.
