Great swallow-tailed swift
{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2022}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Great swallow-tailed swift
| image = PanyptilaSanctiJeromaeWolf.jpg
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| genus = Panyptila
| species = sanctihieronymi
| authority = Salvin, 1863
| synonyms =
| range_map = Panyptila sanctihieronymi map.svg
}}
The great swallow-tailed swift (Panyptila sanctihieronymi) is a species of bird in subfamily Apodinae of the swift family Apodidae.{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/swifts/ |title=Owlet-nightjars, treeswifts, swifts |website=IOC World Bird List |version =v 12.2 |editor-last1=Gill |editor-first1= F. |editor-last2=Donsker|editor-first2=D.|editor-last3=Rasmussen |editor-first3=P. |date=August 2022 |access-date=August 9, 2022 }}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 It is found in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.{{cite web |url=http://checklist.aou.org/taxa |title=Check-list of North and Middle American Birds |author= |date=August 2022 |publisher=American Ornithological Society |access-date=August 9, 2022 }}
Taxonomy and systematics
The great swallow-tailed swift shares genus Panyptila with the lesser swallow-tailed swift (P. cayennensis). It is monotypic.
Description
The great swallow-tailed swift is {{convert|18|to|20.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and weighs about {{convert|48|g|oz|sigfig=2|abbr=on}}. It has long narrow wings and a long deeply forked tail. The sexes are alike. Adults have a black crown and upper face with two white spots on the forehead. Most of their body is bluish black. Their lower face, throat, collar, upper chest, and flanks are white. Their flight feathers have grayish ends and white tips.van Dort, J. (2020). Great Swallow-tailed Swift (Panyptila sanctihieronymi), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (T. S. Schulenberg, Editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gstswi1.01 retrieved October 8, 2022
Distribution and habitat
The great swallow-tailed swift is found from Nayarit in western Mexico south through Guatemala and Honduras into northern Nicaragua. There are also a few records in Costa Rica. It generally inhabits arid to semi-arid highland landscapes characterized by canyons and large cliffs. In elevation it typically ranges between {{convert|1000|and|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}} but sometimes wanders to humid areas as low as {{convert|600|m|ft|abbr=on}}.
Behavior
=Movement=
=Feeding=
=Breeding=
The great swallow-tailed swift builds a tubular nest about {{convert|40|to|60|cm|in|abbr=on}} long from seed fluff and feathers felted with saliva. It has an entrance near the bottom and the eggs are held on shelf towards the top. It is suspended from the underside of an overhanging rock. The clutch size us unknown but is suspected to be the same two or three eggs as that of the lesser swallow-tailed swift. Nothing else is known about its breeding biology.
{{birdsong|url=https://xeno-canto.org/species/Panyptila-sanctihieronymi |species=great swallow-tailed swift}}
=Vocalization=
Status
The IUCN has assessed the great swallow-tailed swift as being of Least Concern. It has a large range and an estimated population of between 20,000 and 50,000 mature individuals. The latter is believed to be decreasing. No immediate threats have been identified. Some authors believe it is one of the rarer swifts but it appears to be common in at least Honduras.