Bornean Swiftlet vs African Palm Swift
Collocalia dodgei compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Bornean Swiftlet | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Collocalia dodgei | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 6.1 g (0.22 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Small aerial insectivore feeding on minute flying insects and spiders; forages over forest canopy and … | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. |
| Clutch Size | -- | 1-3 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Bornean Swiftlet
High thin twittering; soft 'tsit' notes over Borneo mountains; echolocation in cave roosts; tiny highland swiftlet; call weakly audible; soft rapid chittering in flight
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Geographic Range & Migration
Bornean Swiftlet
Endemic to Borneo in lowland dipterocarp forest and hill forest. Closely related to Glossy Swiftlet; range barely extends to Palawan.
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
Bornean Swiftlet
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Bornean Swiftlet
Tiny; dark glossy blue-green upperparts; pale whitish rump band; dark sooty-grey underparts; forked tail; Borneo endemic restricted to montane zones; similar to Glossy Swiftlet but less white below and confined …
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
Bornean Swiftlet
A small swiftlet (9-10 cm) endemic to montane forests of northern Borneo at 900-3,400 m elevation. Dark glossy plumage. Aerial insectivore. Colonial cave nester. Restricted to high-altitude caves on Mount Kinabalu and neighboring peaks. Limited ecological data.
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.