Tepui swift

What is now the tepui swift was first collected in the 19th century but was not recognized as a separate species until 1972. It was originally assigned to genus Cypseloides but by the 2000s was reassigned to Streptoprocne. It and the chestnut-collared swift (C. rutila) form a superspecies. Its specific epithet honors William H. Phelps Jr.[4][5]

The tepui swift is monotypic.[2]

The tepui swift is one of the smaller members of genus Streptoprocne. It is 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 in) long and weighs about 20 to 24 g (0.71 to 0.85 oz). It has a long deeply notched tail and long broad wings. Adult males' most obvious feature is the wide orange-chestnut collar that encircles the neck and includes the upper breast, chin, throat, and most of the face. The rest of its plumage is sooty black, at times with a few white feathers on the breast below the collar. Adult females are similar to males though some have a paler breast with brown mixed in. Immatures resemble adults with the addition of pale gray edges to the underparts' feathers.[4]

The tepui swift is found in the tepui area where southeastern Venezuela, western Guyana, and far northwestern Brazil meet. One individual has been documented in far northern Venezuela; it is not known if it was a vagrant or a migrant. The species is found in humid montane and lowland forests, montane grasslands, and around cliffs. In elevation it mostly ranges between 200 and 2,200 m (660 and 7,200 ft) but has occurred as high as 2,600 m (8,500 ft).[4]

The IUCN has assessed the tepui swift as being of Least Concern, though its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing. No immeditate threats have been identified.[1] It is considered uncommon to fairly common, and "[a]t least in the short term, human activity probably has little effect on Tepui Swift, although it may be vulnerable in the long term to deforestation".[4]