Black Swift vs African Palm Swift
Cypseloides niger compared with Cypsiurus parvus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swift | African Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cypseloides niger | Cypsiurus parvus |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Vulnerable | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 29.9 cm (11.8 in) | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) |
| Weight | 41.55 g (1.47 oz) | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) |
| Diet | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. | 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
None
Black Swift only
African Palm Swift only
Song & Call Comparison
Black Swift
Soft, buzzy chittering 'spee-spee'; thin twittering over mountain waterfalls; higher and softer than Common Swift; small flocks call weakly over nesting cliffs
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 Swift
Breeds in western North America from Alaska south to California and the Caribbean. Migrates to winter in Mexico and Central America.
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 Swift
African Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
Black Swift
Entirely black with slight glossy sheen; faint pale scaling on forehead and chin in fresh plumage; broad-winged and large-bodied; slightly forked tail; sexes alike; North American cliff-nesting swift with wholly …
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 Swift
A large swift (15-18 cm, wingspan 38 cm) with all-dark plumage and a slightly forked tail. Breeds on sea cliffs and behind waterfalls across western North America and the Caribbean. Aerial insectivore, foraging high over mountains and valleys. A long-distance migrant wintering in South America.
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.