African Palm Swift vs White-naped Swift

Cypsiurus parvus مقارنةً بـ Streptoprocne semicollaris

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة African Palm Swift White-naped Swift
الاسم العلمي Cypsiurus parvus Streptoprocne semicollaris
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 44,4 cm (17.5 in)
الوزن 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 175,0 g (6.17 oz)
النظام الغذائي Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Exclusively aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and spiders drifting in aerial plankton at altitude.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-3 2
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

African Palm Swift only

White-naped Swift only

بلا

Song & Call Comparison

African Palm Swift

الغناء

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

White-naped Swift

الغناء

Very loud screaming trill; deep, powerful 'shreee' from Mexico's largest swift; calls over cliffs and canyons; impressive volume; deeper than White-collared Swift

Geographic Range & Migration

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.

White-naped Swift

Endemic to Mexico from Nayarit south to Oaxaca. Found in montane forest and canyons at 1,000–3,000 m. Nests behind waterfalls.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

White-naped Swift

How to Tell Them Apart

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.

White-naped Swift

الريش

Very large; entirely black with white patch restricted to nape only, not forming a full collar; large square tail; Mexican endemic and the largest swift in Middle America; white nape …

About These Birds

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.

White-naped Swift

A large swift (20-22 cm) endemic to Mexico, found in montane regions from Nayarit to Guerrero. Dark plumage with a white half-collar on the nape. Aerial insectivore, foraging over pine-oak forests and barrancas. Nests in large cave colonies. Near Threatened due to limited range.

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