Horus Swift vs African Palm Swift

Apus horus مقارنةً بـ Cypsiurus parvus

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Horus Swift African Palm Swift
الاسم العلمي Apus horus Cypsiurus parvus
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 30,0 cm (11.8 in) 27,2 cm (10.7 in)
الوزن 27,5 g (0.97 oz) 14,38 g (0.51 oz)
النظام الغذائي Feeds on aerial plankton of tiny insects and spiders; entire diet captured during non-stop aerial … Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-4 1-3
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

بلا

Horus Swift only

بلا

African Palm Swift only

Song & Call Comparison

Horus Swift

الغناء

Sharp, buzzy chip followed by short descending whistle; compact two-part call repeated persistently from elevated perch.

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

Horus Swift

Found across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal east to Ethiopia and south to South Africa. Resident in woodland and grassland near 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.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Horus Swift

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

How to Tell Them Apart

Horus Swift

الريش

Dark sooty-brown; large white rump patch; white throat; pale flanks creating partial white underpart; square-ended tail; African species; compared to Little Swift, paler flanks give a more extensively white underpart …

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

Horus Swift

A small swift (12-13 cm) found in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East. Dark plumage with a white rump and throat. Aerial insectivore. Colonial nester on cliffs and buildings. Often nests in old swallow nests. Named after the Egyptian god Horus.

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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