Black-nest Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift
Aerodramus maximus compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black-nest Swiftlet | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aerodramus maximus | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 25.8 cm (10.2 in) | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 16.8 g (0.59 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Aerial plankton feeder taking tiny midges, fungus gnats, and ballooning spiders in rapid coursing flights. | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Clutch Size | 1 | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Black-nest Swiftlet only
African Palm Swift only
Song & Call Comparison
Black-nest Swiftlet
Rapid twittering; thin 'tsit-tsit' over Southeast Asian forest; audible echolocation clicks in caves; larger than many swiftlets; slightly louder calls; colonial nester with dark nest
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black-nest Swiftlet
Found from the Nicobar Islands through the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and the Philippines. Famous for edible nests made of pure saliva.
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
Black-nest Swiftlet
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Black-nest Swiftlet
Medium-small; dark sooty-brown upperparts with rump slightly paler grey-brown; underparts dark sooty-grey; forked tail; one of the largest Aerodramus swiftlets; named for its distinctive all-black saliva nest rather than visible …
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
Black-nest Swiftlet
A medium-sized swiftlet (13-14 cm) found from the Malay Peninsula through Indonesia to the Philippines. Dark plumage. Aerial insectivore. Colonial cave nester, building nests primarily of dark feathers cemented with saliva on cave walls. Commercially harvested for bird's nest soup.
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.