Plain Swift vs African Palm Swift
Apus unicolor compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Plain Swift | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apus unicolor | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.9 cm (11.8 in) | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 24.2 g (0.85 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Exclusively aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and spiders drifting in aerial plankton at altitude. | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Plain Swift
Harsh, grating scream with descending inflection; loud raspy calls carrying urgency, often given during colony disturbance.
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Plain Swift
Breeds on the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands. Resident on these Macaronesian archipelagos. Closely related to Common Swift.
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
Plain Swift
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Plain Swift
Dark sooty-brown plumage; very faint pale chin; no distinct throat patch; entirely plain and uniform; smaller than Common Swift; Macaronesian endemic breeding in Canary Islands and Madeira; coloration slightly paler …
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
Plain Swift
A medium-sized swift (14-15 cm) endemic to the Macaronesian islands of Madeira and the Canaries. Dark brown plumage, slightly paler than Common Swift. Aerial insectivore. Resident population on the islands. Closely related to Common Swift but lacks the pale throat patch.
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.