Madagascar Swift vs African Palm Swift
Apus balstoni compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Madagascar Swift | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apus balstoni | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 32.2 cm (12.7 in) | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 46.125 g (1.63 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds exclusively on aerial plankton — tiny flies, aphids, and spiders — captured in continuous … | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Clutch Size | 1-2 | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
None
Madagascar Swift only
None
African Palm Swift only
Song & Call Comparison
Madagascar Swift
Soft twittering with delicate clicking elements; light, airy notes tumbling quickly in loose sequence near water sources.
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Madagascar Swift
Found in Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Resident in open habitats including savanna, coastal areas, and highland grassland.
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
Madagascar Swift
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Madagascar Swift
Dark sooty-brown overall; pale whitish throat patch; underparts slightly paler brown; moderately forked tail; Malagasy endemic; one of the heavier island Apus swifts; closely resembles African Swift but restricted to …
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
Madagascar Swift
A medium-sized swift (15-16 cm) found across Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. Dark plumage. Aerial insectivore, foraging over forests and open areas. Closely related to African Swift. Resident population. Limited published ecological data compared to continental relatives.
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.