Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi)
About the Vaux's Swift
Vaux's swift (Chaetura vauxi) is a small swift native to North America, Central America, and northern South America. It was named for the American scientist William Sansom Vaux. This is a small swift, even compared to other Chaetura species, at 10.7 to 11.2 cm (4.2 to 4.4 in) long and weighing 18 g (0.63 oz). The northern populations are slightly larger at 11.5 cm (4.5 in), probably according to the Bergmann's Rule and/or migration requirements. It has a cigar-shaped body, crescentic wings and a short bluntly squared-off tail. The head, upperparts and wings are dusky black, and the underparts, rump and tail coverts are greyish brown. The throat is paler grey, becoming whitish in northern birds. The sexes are similar, but juveniles have dusky bases to the throat feathers.
No audio on this page yet
We only publish recordings we may use commercially, because this site is supported by ads. xeno-canto lists 39 recordings for this species: 5 CC BY-NC-SA. None of them permits commercial use, so there is no player here — the page is kept as a profile so the bird is not missing from the guide.
As soon as someone uploads a freely licensed recording, we mirror it and the player appears here.
Listed as recorded in Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras in the xeno-canto catalogue.
Related species you can hear
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagicarecording
- Grey-rumped SwiftChaetura cinereiventrisrecording
- Short-tailed SwiftChaetura brachyurarecording
This species has no recording here yet — these relatives do, so you can hear what the family sounds like.