African Palm Swift vs White-rumped Spinetail

Cypsiurus parvus مقارنةً بـ Zoonavena sylvatica

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة African Palm Swift White-rumped Spinetail
الاسم العلمي Cypsiurus parvus Zoonavena sylvatica
الرتبة Caprimulgiformes Caprimulgiformes
الفصيلة Apodidae Apodidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 27,2 cm (10.7 in) 22,1 cm (8.7 in)
الوزن 14,38 g (0.51 oz) 13,0 g (0.46 oz)
النظام الغذائي Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. Catches aerial plankton of small insects and spiders in fast sweeping flight; roosts in rock …
عدد البيض في الوضع 1-3 3-5
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

African Palm Swift only

White-rumped Spinetail 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-rumped Spinetail

الغناء

Shrill, reedy twittering calls; thin whistled notes cascading rapidly in flight, carrying a faint metallic quality overhead.

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-rumped Spinetail

Found in southwestern India (Western Ghats) and Sri Lanka. Resident in humid forest and forest edge in hills up to 1,800 m.

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

African Palm Swift

Least Concern

White-rumped Spinetail

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-rumped Spinetail

الريش

Small; dark brown-black upperparts; bright white rump band strongly contrasting with dark back; underparts pale whitish; short spiny tail; South Asian forest species; white rump conspicuous in flight distinguishing it …

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-rumped Spinetail

A small spinetail swift (10-11 cm) found in foothill and montane forests of the Indian subcontinent, from the Himalayas to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka. Dark plumage with a white rump band and spine-tipped tail. Aerial insectivore. Nests behind waterfalls and in caves.

More Birds to Explore

Explore the Nature FYI Family