Spot-fronted Swift

How to find it

Plan to watch the sky rather than search the trees. Its fast flight and high, sparse calls make it hard to detect, except when it flies low in poor weather. Cloud cover and approaching storms bring swifts low enough to identify, and on one cloudy late afternoon in Costa Rica two Spot-fronted Swifts flew low just over houses. Start around wooded stream canyons and waterfalls within its elevation band. In Ecuador, birders saw it regularly in small numbers, typically late in the day, usually with more numerous swifts, so it is worth checking every flock.

How to recognise it

This is a small swift, about 14 cm long, nearly all blackish brown. Look for these marks:

A white chin and grayish underwings.

A white patch above the bill.

A white streak above and behind the eye.

A short, square-ended tail.

Fairly short wings.

The bright white spots beside the bill and behind the eye give the bird its name. Seen well, it is fairly easy to identify, but a good view is the hard part with a bird that moves so fast.

Behaviour and diet

It is an aerial insectivore. It eats mainly wasps, bees and ants, and true bugs such as cicadas, and beetles have also been recorded. Across its range it may forage in flocks of up to about 50 birds, and it sometimes joins other swift species while feeding.

A Costa Rica study found that it nests on a vertical rock face near or above water. The cup nest is made of moss, ferns and mud. It lays one egg, which hatches after 26 to 28 days.

Where it lives

In Costa Rica it lives in wooded stream canyons and mountain waterfalls, at about 1,000 to 2,200 m. It shelters and nests in permanently damp, mostly rocky places.

It is mostly found on the Pacific slope of the Cordillera Central and the Cordillera de Talamanca. It has also been seen in wooded mountain areas with deep valleys and in shrubby savanna.

When to see it

A Costa Rica birding blog says the wet season is the best time to see this and other less common swifts. In the sunny dry season they often fly too high for good looks.

Similar birds

In silhouette it looks much like the White-chinned Swift, and calls help separate the two, especially a slow, mellow chirping series. Next to the Chestnut-collared Swift it has a flat, broad head and is slightly larger. Costa Rican swifts to separate from it include Chestnut-collared, Black and White-chinned, and all are easiest to see well in the wet season.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

Costa Rican Spanish sources call it Vencejo de Cherrie. Other Spanish names are vencejo cuatro ojos (four eyes), vencejo cuatroojos and vencejo frentipunteado. The four eyes name fits the white spots in front of and behind each eye.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list treats it as a resident (R): a breeding resident in Costa Rica, possibly present all year, and uncommon to rare.

Photography tips

Cloud cover and approaching storms bring swifts low enough to identify, so late cloudy afternoons are the chance to raise a camera. In the sunny dry season swifts often fly too high for good looks.