[3][4] It is found in Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama; in every mainland South American country except Chile, French Guiana, Suriname, and Uruguay; in Trinidad and Tobago; and on Grenada.

It has a protruding head, a short square tail, and wings that bulge in the middle and somewhat hook at the end.

Adults of the nominate subspecies have mostly glossy black upperparts with a wide gray rump and uppertail coverts.

C. c. lawrencei has slightly darker underparts than the nominate and black undertail coverts that contrast with the belly.

C. c. schistacea has darker upperparts than the nominate, with a steely blue gloss, and also deep gray underparts.

It builds a half-cup nest on the vertical interior wall of a chimney or similar structure; it may be rebuilt and reused.

The principal vocalizations of the grey-rumped swift's nominate subspecies are "a bright repeated short 'tsip'" and a "series of 3–4 slightly downslurred burry drawn-out notes 'trrreeew-trrreeew-trrreeew'."