Swallow-winged puffbird

Swallow-winged puffbird
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Piciformes
Family:	Bucconidae
Genus:	Chelidoptera Gould, 1837
Species:	C. tenebrosa
Binomial name
Chelidoptera tenebrosa (Pallas, 1782)

The swallow-winged puffbird (Chelidoptera tenebrosa) is a species of near-passerine bird in the family Bucconidae, the puffbirds, nunlets, and nunbirds. It is also called the swallow-wing. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.^[2][3]

The swallow-winged puffbird was previously known as simply "swallow-wing" but its current name has been widely accepted since the late twentieth century. It is the only member of its genus. It has three subspecies, the nominate C. t. tenebrosa, C. t. brasiliensis, and C. t. pallida.^[4][2]

The swallow-winged puffbird is 14 to 15 cm (5.5 to 5.9 in) long and weighs 30 to 41.5 g (1.1 to 1.5 oz). The nominate subspecies has sooty black upperparts with some bluish iridescence. The lower back and rump are white. Its tail is short and black with white tips to the feathers that quickly wear away. The wings are long and pointed. The chin is whitish, the throat grayish, and the breast sooty black fading to gray in its lower part. Its belly is orange-chestnut. The bill is black, the eye dark brown, and the feet dark gray or black. C. t. brasiliensis is larger than the nominate; the underparts have a whitish band separating the grey lower breast from the belly, which is more ochraceous than the nominate's. C. t. pallida has paler underparts than the nominate, with a distinct white band separating the gray lower breast from the chestnut of the belly.^[5]

The swallow-winged puffbird is found throughout the Amazon Basin to the foothills of the Andes in the west and south through central Brazil. It also has a population along the southeastern Brazilian coast. The nominate subspecies is by far the most widespread, occurring in most of Venezuela, south through eastern Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to northern Bolivia, and east through the Guianas and much of interior Brazil to its northwestern coast. C. t. brasiliensis is found in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil approximately from Rio Grande do Norte south to Espírito Santo. C. t. pallida is found only in Venezuela's far northwestern state of Zulia.^[2][5]

The swallow-winged puffbird inhabits a variety of open and semi-open landscapes. It appears to prefer open areas with scattered bushes on sandy soils within generally forested areas. It has also been recorded in savanna; the edges of transitional, secondary, and deciduous forest; várzea forest, and gallery forest. In elevation it mostly ranges from sea level to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) but can locally be found as high as 1,750 m (5,700 ft).^[5]

The swallow-winged puffbird hunts by sorties from an exposed perch. Its diet is mostly flying insects that it captures on the wing and consumes in flight.^[5]

The swallow-winged puffbird's breeding season varies across its wide range. It digs a nest tunnel in flat sandy ground or an earthen bank (including human-made ones such as road cuts). The clutch is one or two whitish eggs.^[5]

The swallow-winged puffbird has a "[t]wittering song often given in flight". Its calls include "'tsi-tsi-tsi' and [a] high clear 'dí-didi dí-didi dí-didi…'."^[5]

The IUCN has assessed the swallow-winged puffbird as being of Least Concern. It has an extremely large range, and though its population has not been enumerated it is believed to be increasing.^[1] It is "characterized in general as locally common...according to habitat availability." It might even benefit from human actions such as conversion of forest to pasture and road building.^[5]

• Swallow-wing photo gallery VIREO
• Swallow-winged puffbird and nest photos

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Genera of trogons, hornbills, kingfishers, woodpeckers and their extinct allies

• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Infraclass: Neognathae
• Clade: Coraciimorphae
• Clade: Cavitaves

Cavitaves
Leptosomiformes Leptosomidae Leptosomus †Plesiocathartes? †Waltonavis Eucavitaves Trogoniformes Trogonidae Apalharpactes Apaloderma †Eotrogon Euptilotis †Foshanornis Harpactes †Masillatrogon †Paratrogon Pharomachrus †Primotrogon Priotelus †Septentrogon Trogon Picocoraciae Bucerotiformes See below ↓ Picodynastornithes Coraciiformes See below ↓ Piciformes See below ↓

Bucerotiformes
Bucerotiformes †Laurillardiidae Laurillardia †Messelirrisoridae Messelirrisor Upupi Phoeniculidae †Phirriculus Phoeniculus Rhinopomastus Upupidae Upupa Buceroti Bucorvidae Bucorvus †Euroceros Bucerotidae Aceros Anorrhinus Anthracoceros Berenicornis Buceros Bycanistes Ceratogymna Horizocerus Lophoceros Ocyceros Penelopides Rhabdotorrhinus Rhinoplax Rhyticeros Tockus

Coraciiformes
incertae sedis †Cryptornis †Paracoracias †Quasisyndactylus †Eocoraciidae Eocoracias †Geranopteridae Geranopterus †Primobucconidae Primobucco Septencoracias Brachypteraciidae Atelornis Brachypteracias Geobiastes Uratelornis Coraciidae †Chehuenia Coracias Eurystomus †Miocoracias Meropidae Meropogon Merops Nyctyornis Alcedines Alcedinidae Alcedininae Alcedo Ceyx Corythornis Ispidina Cerylinae Ceryle Chloroceryle Megaceryle Halcyoninae Actenoides Caridonax Cittura Clytoceyx Dacelo Halcyon Lacedo Melidora Pelargopsis Syma Tanysiptera Todiramphus Momotidae Aspatha Baryphthengus Electron Eumomota Hylomanes Momotus †Protornis? Todidae †Palaeotodus Todus

Piciformes
incertae sedis †"Homalopus" †Pristineanis †Gracilitarsidae Gracilitarsus Neanis †Sylphornithidae Oligosylphe Palaegithalus? Sylphornis Galbuli †Jacamatia Bucconidae Bucco Chelidoptera Hapaloptila Hypnelus Malacoptila Micromonacha Monasa Nonnula Notharchus Nystalus Galbulidae Brachygalba Galbalcyrhynchus Galbula Jacamaralcyon Jacamerops Pici incertae sedis †Rupelramphastoides †Miopiconidae Miopico †Picavidae Picavus Ramphastides Capitonidae Capito †Capitonides Eubucco Lybiidae Buccanodon Cryptolybia Gymnobucco Lybius Pogoniulus Pogonornis Stactolaema Trachyphonus Tricholaema Megalaimidae Caloramphus Psilopogon Ramphastidae Andigena Aulacorhynchus Pteroglossus Ramphastos Selenidera Semnornithidae Semnornis Picides Indicatoridae Indicator Melichneutes Melignomon Prodotiscus Picidae See below ↓

Picidae
incertae sedis †Bitumenpicus †Breacopus †Palaeonerpes †Palaeopicus †Piculoides Jynginae Jynx Picumninae Picumnus Sasiinae Sasia Verreauxia Picinae †Australopicus †Palaeonerpes †Pliopicus Nesoctitini Nesoctites Hemicircini Hemicircus Picini Campethera Celeus Chrysophlegma Colaptes Dinopium Dryocopus Gecinulus Geocolaptes Micropternus Meiglyptes Mulleripicus Pardipicus Piculus Picus Campephilini Blythipicus Campephilus Chrysocolaptes Reinwardtipicus Melanerpini Chloropicus Dendrocopos Dendrocoptes Dendropicos Dryobates Leiopicus Leuconotopicus Melanerpes Picoides Sphyrapicus Veniliornis Xiphidiopicus Yungipicus