African Palm Swift vs Antillean Palm Swift
Cypsiurus parvus compared with Tachornis phoenicobia
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | African Palm Swift | Antillean Palm Swift |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cypsiurus parvus | Tachornis phoenicobia |
| Order | Caprimulgiformes | Caprimulgiformes |
| Family | Apodidae | Apodidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 27.2 cm (10.7 in) | 20.4 cm (8.0 in) |
| Weight | 14.38 g (0.51 oz) | 10.0 g (0.35 oz) |
| Diet | Exclusively aerial diet; consumes tiny flying insects and spiders, sometimes following insect swarms for km. | Feeds aerially on tiny insects and spiders, often following weather fronts where aerial plankton concentrates. |
| Clutch Size | 1-3 | 2-5 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
African Palm Swift only
Antillean Palm Swift only
None
Song & Call Comparison
African Palm Swift
Deep, hollow churring trill with resonant bass quality; prolonged vibrating call audible at significant range in open woodland.
Antillean Palm Swift
Rapid, thin twittering with intermittent pauses; light chips strung loosely forming an airy, barely structured vocalisation.
Geographic Range & Migration
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.
Antillean Palm Swift
Found in Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Resident in open areas near palms; nests inside hanging palm fronds in the Caribbean.
Conservation Status
African Palm Swift
Antillean Palm Swift
How to Tell Them Apart
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.
Antillean Palm Swift
Tiny; dark brown-black upperparts; white rump contrasting with dark back; underparts white with dark breast band; dark brown flanks and sides; deeply forked tail; Caribbean endemic with striking white rump …
About These Birds
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.
Antillean Palm Swift
A small swift (10-11 cm) endemic to the Greater Antilles (Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola). Dark plumage with a white rump. Long, deeply forked tail. Aerial insectivore, closely associated with royal palms (Roystonea), nesting inside hanging dead palm fronds.