African Palm Swift vs Antillean Palm Swift

Cypsiurus parvus مقارنةً بـ Tachornis phoenicobia

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة African Palm Swift Antillean Palm Swift
الاسم العلمي Cypsiurus parvus Tachornis phoenicobia
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 20,4 cm (8.0 in)
الوزن 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 10,0 g (0.35 oz)
النظام الغذائي Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Feeds aerially on tiny insects and spiders, often following weather fronts where aerial plankton concentrates.
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-3 2-5
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

African Palm Swift only

Antillean Palm Swift only

بلا

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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.

Antillean Palm Swift

الغناء

Rapid, thin twittering with intermittent pauses; light chips strung loosely forming an airy, barely structured vocalisation.

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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.

Antillean Palm Swift

Found in Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Resident in open areas near palms; nests inside hanging palm fronds in the Caribbean.

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

Antillean Palm Swift

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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.

Antillean Palm Swift

الريش

Tiny; dark brown-black upperparts; white rump contrasting with dark back; underparts white with dark breast band; dark brown flanks and sides; deeply forked tail; Caribbean endemic with striking white rump …

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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.

Antillean Palm Swift

A small swift (10-11 cm) endemic to the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola). Dark plumage with a white rump. Long, deeply forked tail. Aerial insectivore, closely associated with royal palms (Roystonea), nesting inside hanging dead palm fronds.

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