Plain Swift vs Black Spinetail
Apus unicolor compared with Telacanthura melanopygia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Plain Swift | Black Spinetail |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Apus unicolor | Telacanthura melanopygia |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.9 cm (11.8 in) | 32.4 cm (12.8 in) |
| Weight | 24.2 g (0.85 oz) | 52.0 g (1.83 oz) |
| Diet | Exclusively aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and spiders drifting in aerial plankton at altitude. | High-speed aerial insectivore catching small flying insects and aerial spiders during fast sustained flight. |
| Clutch Size | 2 | -- |
| 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.
Black Spinetail
Deep, resonant chattering with gravelly undertones; series of rough churring notes interspersed with sharp screaming calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
Plain Swift
Breeds on the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands. Resident on these Macaronesian archipelagos. Closely related to Common Swift.
Black Spinetail
Found in West and Central Africa from Nigeria and Cameroon east to Uganda. Resident in lowland rainforest and forest edge.
Conservation Status
Plain Swift
Black Spinetail
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 …
Black Spinetail
Large; entirely black plumage with slight gloss; black rump unlike white-rumped congeners; underparts dark; spiny tail; West African forest species; all-black coloration with no contrasting markings distinguishes it from all …
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.
Black Spinetail
A medium-sized spinetail swift (14-15 cm) of lowland rainforests in West and Central Africa. All-dark plumage. Spine-tipped tail for bracing against tree trunks. Aerial insectivore, foraging above the forest canopy. Nests inside hollow trees. Uncommon and seldom observed.