Mountain Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift
Aerodramus hirundinaceus compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mountain Swiftlet | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aerodramus hirundinaceus | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 23.0 cm (9.1 in) | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 9.700000000000001 g (0.34 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Entirely airborne insectivore; feeds on minute flying insects and web-dispersing spiders over open habitats. | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Mountain Swiftlet
High, thin twittering; 'tsit-tsit' over New Guinea highlands; echolocation clicks used in cave roosts; calls weakly in flight; colonial; flock calls produce soft chittering
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mountain Swiftlet
Found in montane New Guinea at 1,200–3,900 m. Resident in montane rainforest, moss forest, and subalpine grassland. Common in highlands.
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.
Conservation Status
Mountain Swiftlet
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Mountain Swiftlet
Small; dark blackish-grey upperparts; pale grey rump band; underparts pale greyish-white; forked tail; New Guinea montane endemic; similar to White-rumped Swiftlet but greyer overall and restricted to high-altitude zones.
African Palm Swift
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
Mountain Swiftlet
A small swiftlet (10-11 cm) found in montane regions of New Guinea at 1,500-3,800 m elevation. Dark grey-brown plumage. Aerial insectivore, foraging above cloud forest canopy. Colonial nester in cave entrances and rock crevices. Uses echolocation for cave navigation.
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.