Mossy-nest Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift

Aerodramus salangana مقارنةً بـ Cypsiurus parvus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Mossy-nest Swiftlet African Palm Swift
الاسم العلمي Aerodramus salangana Cypsiurus parvus
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 22,7 cm (8.9 in) 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
الوزن 11,3 g (0.40 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
النظام الغذائي Aerial insectivore consuming minute dipterans, midges, and ballooning spiders caught in continuous fast flight. Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-2 1-3
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Mossy-nest Swiftlet only

بلا

African Palm Swift only

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Song & Call Comparison

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

الغناء

Rapid thin twittering; 'chip-chip' over Borneo forests; echolocation clicks in cave roosts; uses mossy nest material; calls softly in colonial roosts; moderate-pitched swiftlet

African Palm Swift

الغناء

Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Found from the Philippines through Borneo and Sulawesi to the Moluccas. Resident in lowland and hill forest, often over rivers.

African Palm Swift

Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Somalia and south to South Africa. Common in open areas near palms; nests in palm leaves.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

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How to Tell Them Apart

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

الريش

Small; dark grey-brown upperparts with slight iridescence; pale grey-brown rump slightly paler than back; underparts greyish-white; forked tail; Sundaic swiftlet building mossy nests; rump contrast moderate, less striking than White-rumped.

African Palm Swift

الريش

Slender and long-tailed; uniformly pale greyish-brown overall; underparts paler grey-buff; long deeply forked tail; pale uniform appearance with no contrasting markings; widespread African palm-nesting swift with distinctive slender silhouette.

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About These Birds

Mossy-nest Swiftlet

A small swiftlet (11-12 cm) found from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia to the Philippines. Dark plumage with a pale rump. Aerial insectivore. Colonial cave nester. Named for the salanga caves of Java where large colonies breed. Nests made partially of moss and saliva.

African Palm Swift

A slender swift (15-17 cm) with long, narrow wings and a deeply forked tail. Dark brown plumage. Found across sub-Saharan Africa in savanna and open woodland, closely associated with palm trees. Aerial insectivore. One of Africa's most abundant swift species.

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