Madagascar Swift vs African Palm Swift

Apus balstoni مقارنةً بـ Cypsiurus parvus

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Madagascar Swift African Palm Swift
الاسم العلمي Apus balstoni Cypsiurus parvus
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 32,2 cm (12.7 in) 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
الوزن 46,125 g (1.63 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds exclusively on aerial plankton — tiny flies, aphids, and spiders — captured in continuous … 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

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

بلا

Madagascar Swift only

بلا

African Palm Swift only

Song & Call Comparison

Madagascar Swift

الغناء

Soft twittering with delicate clicking elements; light, airy notes tumbling quickly in loose sequence near water sources.

African Palm Swift

الغناء

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

Geographic Range & Migration

Madagascar Swift

Found in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Resident in open habitats including savanna, coastal areas, and highland grassland.

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.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Madagascar Swift

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

How to Tell Them Apart

Madagascar Swift

الريش

Dark sooty-brown overall; pale whitish throat patch; underparts slightly paler brown; moderately forked tail; Malagasy endemic; one of the heavier island Apus swifts; closely resembles African Swift but restricted to …

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.

About These Birds

Madagascar Swift

A medium-sized swift (15-16 cm) found across Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Dark plumage. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forests and open areas. Closely related to African Swift. Resident population. Limited published ecological data compared to continental relatives.

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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