Chimney Swift vs Short-tailed Swift

Chaetura pelagica compared with Chaetura brachyura

Key Differences

• Chimney Swift is Near Threatened while Short-tailed Swift is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chimney Swift	Short-tailed Swift
Kingdom same	Animalia (hayvan)	Animalia (hayvan)
Phylum same	Chordata (Kordalılar)	Chordata (Kordalılar)
Class same	Aves (kuş)	Aves (kuş)
Order same	Apodiformes (Ebabiller)	Apodiformes (Ebabiller)
Family same	Apodidae	Apodidae
Genus same	Chaetura	Chaetura
Species	Chaetura pelagica	Chaetura brachyura

Evolutionary Relationship

Chimney Swift and Short-tailed Swift share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Chaetura.

Conservation Status

Chimney Swift

NT — Near Threatened

Short-tailed Swift

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chimney Swift	Short-tailed Swift
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chimney Swift

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (Norway, Sweden), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Short-tailed Swift

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Chimney Swift

Chimney Swift (Chaetura pelagica) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Short-tailed Swift

Short-tailed Swift (Chaetura brachyura) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇪🇨 Ecuador 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela