Unusual swift - Mathura, Trinidad & Tobago (1 Viewer)

[bugmat]

Chimney Swift was not on the T&T bird list per 2007 and is not included in the Field guide by Kennefick et al. So with a single image of a bird explainable with a local species I would go with that (Chapman's).
Niels

I wouldn't use that as a guide myself but I get your point totally. We got an Eastern wood-pewee earlier this year and that was a first ever. I am apparently the 2nd person here seeing this particular swift (same location 2 weeks after the first sighting) but Martyn (Kenefick) hasn't made a conclusive opinion so far to my knowledge on it's ID. I guess I might file it under possible Chapman's/Chimney /Vaux swift for now.

 

[njlarsen]

I wouldn't use that as a guide myself but I get your point totally. We got an Eastern wood-pewee earlier this year and that was a first ever. I am apparently the 2nd person here seeing this particular swift (same location 2 weeks after the first sighting) but Martyn (Kenefick) hasn't made a conclusive opinion so far to my knowledge on it's ID. I guess I might file it under possible Chapman's/Chimney /Vaux swift for now.

Out of interest: which guide is currently considered the best for T&T? The only alternative I have is a very old ffrench book.
Niels

 

[THE_FERN]

I wouldn't use that as a guide myself but I get your point totally. We got an Eastern wood-pewee earlier this year and that was a first ever. I am apparently the 2nd person here seeing this particular swift (same location 2 weeks after the first sighting) but Martyn (Kenefick) hasn't made a conclusive opinion so far to my knowledge on it's ID. I guess I might file it under possible Chapman's/Chimney /Vaux swift for now.

I think you can probably rule out Vaux's

 

[Andy Adcock]

Looks more like Vaux's or similar to me. I'd have to check what's there. There are various "nearby" candidates

Vaux's was recently split with the nearby, Venezuelan form C.andrei becoming Ashy-tailed.

 

[Andy Adcock]

I wouldn't use that as a guide myself but I get your point totally. We got an Eastern wood-pewee earlier this year and that was a first ever. I am apparently the 2nd person here seeing this particular swift (same location 2 weeks after the first sighting) but Martyn (Kenefick) hasn't made a conclusive opinion so far to my knowledge on it's ID. I guess I might file it under possible Chapman's/Chimney /Vaux swift /Ashy-tailed for now.

See above.

 

[bugmat]

Out of interest: which guide is currently considered the best for T&T? The only alternative I have is a very old ffrench book.
Niels

It is still Kenefick as a field guide (3rd edition now) but the Ffrench book is definitely the more detailed book even now, and probably better for anything deeper than a quick field ID.

 

[bugmat]

See above.

ok noted thanks